Last night was cold, -16 Fahrenheit in the valley. One of the coldest nights we've had so far. A good night to kick up the heater and watch a movie in bed. That didn't happen though, the aurora forecast was at Kp 5 on a scale that maxes out at 9, so instead of sleeping we donned many layers and stood out in the freezing wind. Normally the Kp index is around 2 or 3, so a 5 is worth staying up late for. The local newspaper even printed an article about the aurora forecast, reporting Friday would be the big event. I stayed up all night Friday and literally nothing happened. Last night however, even with a nearly full moon, the aurora came through. Casey had to check on some walrus samples in the lab and let them "do their thing" for a few hours (check Casey's blog caseyandthewhales.blogspot.com for details on his research), so in the mean time we drove up to Ester Dome and watched another fantastic showing of the northern lights. We were hoping for the elusive red aurora, but had to settle for a few subtle pinks.
Canon EOS 60D, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM, ISO-400 f/4 @ 8 sec
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