Alarms, Orcas, and Auroras. pt 2

Auroras.

While I was at Mawson Station I discovered that I really enjoy being outside, in the dark, in screaming winds, and freezing cold temperatures. 

I like not being able to see the controls on my camera, or being able to tell what's in my composition. Risking irreplaceable equipment on flimsy tripods and irreplaceable bones on slippery hard surfaces is thrilling.

Because nights like this are when the skies come to life.

Star trails from Maria Island, Tas.

Full moon over Hobart, Tas.

which turned into this super-blue-blood-moon.

Byron Bay lighthouse.

And then if you're extremely lucky... and extremely far south... and if the sun throws a fit, and if the clouds hide away, and if the moon isn't too bright... you might just get a night like this.

Rumdoodle aurora, Mawson Station Antarctica, 2015. 

These pretty lights, the Aurora Australis, bring me a great deal of excitement.

They're an adventure and a treat, a technical challenge and the promise of a thrilling night. And if the weather is decent and my camera is already tucked away somewhere safe, then they're a great excuse to rug-up and find somewhere to lie down and stargaze.

Macquarie Island aurora, 01.06.18. 

Macquarie Island aurora, 01.06.18. 

Macquarie Island aurora, 20.04.18. 

The Aurora Australis is the slightly less famous twin of the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights). Often the same patterns appear in each hemisphere at the same time. It is caused by charged particles from the sun unloading energy into gas molecules in our atmosphere, which means -

• the more solar activity there is, the more visible aurora there is
• aurora's are most visible at the magnetic poles, because the earth's magnetic field deflects the charged particles away along lines of flux
• different molecules shine with different colours, by far the most common being green from oxygen at about 60km altitude.

Of course, Macquarie Island can be a little bit of a bastard. It's cloudy all of the time, it's rainy all of the time, and it's windy most of the time. But whenever the weather breaks I'm ready and waiting.

As a special mid-winter treatie I put together a few little photos with some nice chill-out music to show during our midwinter feast. Best viewed in a dark room on a big screen with a good soundsystem.

This next bit is for those who are playing at home and are keen to learn how to shoot their own auroras (which I can only assume is all of you Queenslanders).
Required equipment:

• camera that allows for manual adjustment
• tripod or other way of immobilising the camera
• clear night sky with minimal noise pollution (get away from the city!)
• intervalometer if you want to shoot a timelapse
• head torch! Never leave home without it!

Tips and tricks for beginners:

• Get to know your camera! It is substantially frustrating to try and find controls in the dark with numb fingers. 
• Give your photo an interesting foreground and focus the camera on it, preferably near the infinity focus point. If you are struggling with autofocus in the dark try and find a bright object at the right distance and autofocus on it, then switch to manual focus.
• Using very high ISO lets you use a faster shutter speed while you are deciding on how to compose the frame. Conversely, using a slower shutter speed allows you to decrease the ISO once you are satisfied with the frame, to reduce noise in the photo. 
• Using a self-timer or remote will prevent star-blur when the shutter button is pressed. 
• Use the 500 rule to avoid star trails if they're not your objective. 

That'll will probably do for now. As always, let me know if you have questions or comments.