Our sun has been very angry these last couple of days. Solar storms erupting on the surface 92 million miles away have been raining down a barrage of electrically charged particles, producing a fabulous flickering light show. Here along the beach in Fairport Harbor, Ohio, just shy of the 42nd parallel, seeing an aurora borealis dancing along the horizon is a rare treat. I’m pretty excited. This is my first time at seeing the Northern Lights above Lake Erie, or anywhere for that matter.
Northern Lights Photography Round One
Shooting the Sun
I photographed the sun Friday afternoon using a homemade solar filter attached to a 15-60x spotting scope. The image is a bit soft. Too soft for my liking. I’m blaming the filter and the scope. I think it’s a flange thing dealing with the Nikon F to Fuji X adapter I’m using. For such a vintage scope, views out sans adapter are fine.
I reluctantly display the image below so you can see all the solar activity (sunspots) happening on the lower right of the sun. That’s not just schmutz I neglected to Photoshop out.
Northern Lights Photography Round Two
Saturday’s weather in northern Ohio consisted of thick clouds and heavy rain. It was a total bust for seeing or shooting the aurora borealis. According to NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, it is still active, although without the intensity seen Friday night. Sunday, however, was a different story, with mostly clear skies in the evening at the lake. My wife and I hopped in the car and tried our luck again. This time, we set up on the west side of the entrance to the Grand River. At the tip of Headlands Beach State Park. I wanted the historic Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse as my foreground. Built in 1925, it has been restored as a private residence after being vacant since 1948.
We arrived before sunset and stayed until a little after 11 o’clock. At first, I was shooting nothing but sunset and stars. I’m not complaining. We never see this many stars where I live and sunsets along the lake are always a welcomed sight. Then, like magic, the first green and magenta wisps of color appeared in my viewfinder. Wonderful. I hope you agree.
Further Reading
- Learn more about the Fairport Harbor West Lighthouse, from its owner at her website here, and at Lighthousefriends.com here.
- Learn more about what causes an aurora borealis and how to photograph it here, at the Royal Museums Greenwich and at Space.com here.
Where Is This Place?
