Hunting the illusive Aurora Borialus

The Northern Lights are amazing to watch when you can see them.  The first time that I saw the Aurora dance, I lived in Wisconsin. Last fall I moved out into the country. My door faces North. I had dreams of being able to see the Northern Lights from my living room window. Instead, I put my camera on the tripod out on my doorstep to take test shots.  When I see lively activity, I go to the North side of the sheds where the yard light is blocked. 

Test Shot #1 9:45 p.m.

Last night at 9:45 p.m. I took a test shot after hearing reports that the chances for Northern Lights was high. All that I got to see were yard lights "light noise" reflecting off the clouds. It still made for a pretty shot.

Test shot #2 11:29 p.m.

At 11:29 PM I took another test shot. The clouds were starting to part. But I still wasn't seeing any green. I was just seeing light noise. I decided to set my alarm for 2:15. That has been a good time for me to see the lights in the past.

Test shot #3 just after 2:15 a.m.

When I woke up at 2:15 a.m. I took a couple of test shots. There were still a fair amount of clouds. But this time I was seeing the Northern Lights shining through the clouds.  I took a few shots but all that I got was a basic band which was not visible to the naked eye.  I knew that I had to be up in a few hours for work.  I checked the activity on the internet and it looked like Northern Minnesota had a beautiful show about an hour before and it was slowing down.  I took my chance but I set the clock for the wrong time.  

I guess it is like a deer hunter seeing the white tail of the deer as it dashes back into the corn field.  My hunt will continue as I fight the overcast days.  We are in a stretch that is forecast to be good for Northern lights.  Instead, we are getting rain.  If you want to see the 30 minute and 3-day Aurora forecast, one website that I use is http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/node/45.  Good luck and good hunting