In the Wee Small Hours Sunday Morning

After staying up past until midnight Saturday to photograph star trails on a rare and unexpected clear night, I woke up at 3 am Sunday to find the sky still sparkling with stars. Jupiter was glowing so beautifully in the pantheon outside the window to the west, I decided to pull on my robe, step onto the balcony, and snap a photo since my camera was still on the tripod. Looking at the photo in-camera, I noticed the sky was pink along the right edge of the photo. I pivoted the camera north, took another photo, and there were the Northern Lights. To my old(ish) eyes, all that was visible was a bit of a pale glow where the sky ought to be dark. I never cease to be amazed at the beauty revealed through the technology of our modern cameras.

I set up my camera to take continuous 6-second photos, and recorded hundreds of photos from 3:15 to 4:30 a.m. Being that it was the middle of the night and only 36 degrees out, I went back inside to warm up, grateful that I can be one of the world’s laziest night sky photographers, avoiding hours of driving, hunting for viewpoints, and waiting outside in the cold for the elusive aurora who often doesn’t show up when predicted.

Instead, I watched through the window from my bed, venturing out every 15 minutes or so to change my camera battery (which was only half full at the start) and the power supply for my lens warmer which prevents condensation from building up on the lens and making everything look like fog. I also moved my camera position slightly a few times for a small shift in perspective.

Here is 50 second movie made of the three timelapse videos I created of the still photos.

My phone pinged an “active geomagnetic conditions” notice Sunday night, but it was quite cloudy, so I ignored it until I was readying for bed and noticed that the sky had cleared somewhat. It was 11:30 when I stepped back onto the balcony for another test shot. I could see some pink glow in camera. I wasn’t sure on the tiny screen if there were pillars or not. But the scene was gorgeous with the moon dipping into the clouds and seals sleeping on the floating platform. Once I edited the photos on my computer today, I could see that there were a few subtle pink pillars.

The aurora might not have been as spectacular as the showy pillars of the early morning solar storm, but the whole scene felt ethereal and peaceful as I stood in the cold soaking in the beauty of the night sky, taking photos and creating this panorama.

Thanks for joining me in this glimpse of the sky in the dark and quiet of the pre-dawn, and in the peace of the late night under the setting crescent moon.

Wishing you well.