Aqsarniit

Sometimes, just sometimes, it pays to be lucky!

Some of you know that I went to Fairbanks, Alaska, this past March. The Northern Lights have always been a bucket list item for me, from the very first moment I learned how to shoot pictures. In my eyes, March was a success, as I was able to capture some amazing shots, in the dead of winter, standing out in the -5 degree weather. I swore I’d go back. I had already started looking at dates and flights, as the Northern Lights are very addicting, once you’ve had a glimpse.

I believe it was around May, of this year, that my wife and I had Jason and his wife over for dinner. We started talking about trips, and photography, and breweries. Not that I know anything about any of this, lol. Anyway, this is the first time I had heard the term F.O.M.O. I was like, what is FOMO? Jason was kind enough to tell me that it meant the Fear of Missing Out. I won’t go into details about Jason’s FOMO. That is his story to tell, but this brings me to the point of inviting him to go with me, to Alaska, in hopes of catching the Aurora Borealis.

I had given him a disclaimer, that there are no guarantees in seeing the lights. Weather, conditions, and low solar wind activity can be reasons for not seeing them. 10 days prior to departure, I started monitoring the weather. It looked ok. Mostly chilly and partly cloudy. I had my fingers crossed. The part I was not excited about, was the Aurora forecast.

The University of Alaska has an Aurora Forecast website. This website helps determine the chances of seeing the Aurora, on a 27-day cycle. This is measured in various ways, but KP values are helpful, in determining the chances. The Kp number is a system of measuring aurora strength. The range goes from 0 to 9 (0 being calm, 1 very weak, all the way up to 9, which would represent a major geomagnetic storm with strong auroras visible). The forecast was at 2 for the ten-day period leading up till our departure.

One day prior to our departure, I had heard about a solar flare, that had happened, a day or two prior. Knowing what I know now, about the Aurora, I was excited about the chance for an increase in Aurora activity, but that was going to be determined by the weather. We were arriving on Sept 22nd and leaving on the 26th. The weather showed a day of clear skies and a little wind. That was the day we were to arrive. I had told Jason that Weds is the best day to go, as the other days were snowy and cloudy.

After landing, checking into the hotel, and hitting a few breweries (priorities), we set off to get ready for the evening, in hopes of seeing the lights, from the top of Murphy Dome (the highest point in Fairbanks). We got there at 10pm and about a half-hour later, the lights started to shine. It was quite the display of lights. Actually, better than March. I couldn’t believe it. I kept hearing Jason say “wow, oh wow” as he was all smiling. It was cold, really cold, up on the hill. -5 in March with no wind, felt warmer than 22 degrees with the wind chill factor. Hands frozen and fingertips numb, I was getting to pack it in. I had got some good shots (I had hoped). We gave it 10 more minutes.

That 10 minutes was the best display I have seen, in my short Aurora career. The lights danced across the sky, like an electronic light show at a rock concert. The greens, yellows, purples, were very visible and one of the things I was hoping for the most, happened. The Aurora had moved directly overhead I finally got to witness the “curtain” effect, of the Aurora. That picture is to come later.

Anyway, all this to say, here is my first processed photo, from Wednesday, September 22, 2021. I will leave Jason to tell his own story. I am already in the works of planning another March trip.

Thanks for looking.

Read less