It's been some time since we've experienced an active showing of the northern lights in Minnesota. Therefore, when I received the alerts for possible auroral activity at 3:15 AM, I quickly dressed, bundled up, and headed out into the crisp -8F darkness, all while a seemingly more sensible side of me was being tugged back to the comfort of my bed.

I drove to a location about six miles north of where I live in Sauk Rapids. Immediately after exiting the light of the city, I saw the unmistakable lights dancing in the sky. With colors ranging from green to blue to purple to red, the show of light lasted right up to dawn. The emerging light of day gradually overpowered the continuing auroral show.

Of the four displays of aurora borealis I have seen in my life (all within the past 14 months), in my opinion, this one ranks at the very top of that list for color and second for overall activity and dynamics.

What luck it was to witness this magnificent green light in the northern sky during the wee hours of St. Patrick's Day. I wouldn't have traded it for a four-leafed clover!

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It's been some time since I last posted here as summer art festivals have kept me quite busy. I have been fortunate to meet a number of wonderful people over the past several weeks, some of whom are now readers of this photo journal. Thank you and welcome! I look forward to sharing my photographic journey with you.

It was during the weekend of the Grand Marais Art Festival in mid-July that something wonderful happened. A few days prior to the festival, the sun unleashed a powerful coronal mass ejection directed toward Earth. The consequence was a potential for a nice display of northern lights that Saturday night.

I had seen aurora borealis only twice in my life prior to this occasion and neither were great displays, so I was really excited to be in far-northern Minnesota for a potentially-stunning auroral spectacle. So, Saturday evening, after sunset, I drove inland from Grand Marais to a location along the Cascade River just a couple of miles south of the BWCA wilderness. Being a lifelong suburban dweller, my journey to this location seemed to nearly stretch the boundaries of what I consider "the middle of nowhere." As the sky fully darkened, the faint light of the aurora became visible and a bow in the northern sky. It was a pleasure to see, but it was far from extraordinary. With little more to see and thoughts of a long day Sunday with the art festival, subsequent tear down, and a five-hour drive home, I decided I would depart at midnight.

Suddenly, at about 11:58 pm, the sky exploded with northern lights with an intensity and shapes unlike I had ever seen. They were everywhere in the northern sky and even directly overhead. The lights were bright enough to slightly illuminate the landscape around me. Needless to say, I abandoned my midnight departure plans and put extra effort into capturing this amazing display. The lights danced and flickered long after I finally left this spot at 1:00 am in seek of a few hours well-needed sleep.

I often find it a treat if I can include more than one level of interest in my photographs. Here, I included the Big Dipper (part of the constellation Ursa Major) with the aurora display.



Overall, it was a wonderful couple of hours as a spectator of the northern sky. I wish I could have stayed out all night and enjoyed the auroral display. As with many of life's joys, it is both exquisite and ephemeral.

It was not even one month ago when I saw my first view of the northern lights on Lake Superior's North Shore. I didn't think round two would come so quickly. This time, for better or for worse, I was at home. I knew, due to the highly-publicized nature of the solar storm that triggered these auroras, that I would be venturing out well after dark in pursuit of the elusive lights. This image was captured about five miles north of my Sauk Rapids, MN home.

As with my previous experience with the aurora, the light was discernible with the naked eye with some faint color, but the camera was necessary to truly capture the color and brightness.

I have always found the Aurora Borealis, also known as the northern lights, to be a phenomenon that has eluded me for most of my life — actually all of it — until Saturday evening. Pictured here is my first known view of the northern lights in my life!

I first caught sight of the aurora while driving north from Two Harbors to Beaver Bay along Highway 61. It was not a particularly strong light show, but a test shot with my camera upon arriving at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park quickly revealed that this was the real deal and not just some clouds illuminated by distant city lights. Trying to contain my excitement, I quickly slid on my cleats, donned my headlamp, grabbed my camera gear, and dashed down the the dark trail to the lakeshore.

The colors of the aurora were not easy to discern with the naked eye, but with a long (30 second) exposure, the camera allowed some of the dramatic colors to be brought out.

The aurora was there, I was there, and I was thrilled!