Full Moon Aurora Visible from Deer Park, WA
Deer Park / Nine Mile Falls Aurora Viewing
It’s getting to be the dark time of year, which means it’s finally Aurora viewing season! Solar Cycle 25 is just getting started. On clear nights, I can often be found chasing the stars and the elusive northern lights (aurora borealis). For me the magic of the aurora is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I’ve been an avid chaser since seeing them during a really strong storm while still living in Nevada. Since moving to Washington, I’ve been able to devote a lot of time and sometimes sleepless nights (if we are being honest), to aurora chasing.
Often, people get frustrated while looking for auroras, and give up. People generally are out looking for the vibrant, colorful images that photographers post online. In Washington state, our auroras are generally greyish-green to the eye. During a strong aurora we can see colors with the naked eye. Also, the longer you remain outside in the dark (no cell phones, no flashlights, car lights, etc) the more likely your eyes are to adjust.
The Basics
MY CAMERA GEAR:
Nikon D610, Nikon z6ii, tripod, remote (useful but not necessary), hand warmers, rubber bands, Nikon z24-70 f4, Nikkor 24-120 f/3.5-5.6 or Nikkor 50 mm f/1.4 lens, 2 fully charged batteries (or more), 2-4 SD cards (16-32gb each).
OTHER GEAR:
Charged cell phone, coffee (or any other hot drink), coat, gloves, hat, camping chair. A red flashlight or a flashlight with red plastic wrap. Depending on the time of year long underwear is not a bad idea either. If any hiking is involved, a map of the area and a compass. Microspikes, crampons, snowshoes and poles may also be a good idea in the winter depending on your chosen location. Bear spray has become a new piece of my gear this year also.
Aurora Viewing Applications and Data Sources:
I use a few different sources to watch data both web based and mobile based. I am not affiliated with, nor do I receive money for recommending any of the following sources. My favorite cell phone apps are Space Weather, My Aurora Forecast (free version) and Photopills ($10). My Aurora Forecast allows me to track KP, Bz, cloud cover, along with solar wind data as long as I have cell phone reception while out photographing. Photopills I actually use to plan the majority of my photo sessions whether it’s landscape or portraits. This helps me track moon phases, sunrise, sunset, along with the much loved golden hour and twilight. Solarham, NOAA Space weather, and Space Weather Woman are my go to websites.
What Do Those Numbers Mean for Aurora Viewing?
KP
This ranges from 0-9 and is an indication of how far south aurora viewing will potentially be visible above the horizon. In the Deer Park, Spokane, Nine Mile Falls (and most of rural northeastern Washington), we need a bare minimum of 3.33 for the potential of aurora visible in a camera. With your naked eyes, you are going to want something 4.5 or higher with a stronger Bz. Most of our auroras are visible on the horizon. Rarely do we get the aurora overhead, and often the Kp is 6.5 or higher in these cases.
BZ
This is the strength of the solar activity. If Bz is 0 or higher, the activity is often dead. This means there is little to no activity to be able to be seen. Once it drops below zero, we start getting excited! Generally, you want a Bz -3 (or less). The more negative the number, the stronger the display will be in the sky. Stronger Bz data and the more likely we are to see dancing pillars (the spikes), picket fence, or pulsating auroras. The stronger the storm the more likely you are to be able to the northern lights with your eyes versus just in the camera.
If you are in any aurora groups, you’ve probably heard negative (south) bz and positive (north) bz tossed around. Usually with a lot of groans about the time dusk hits when the Bz invariably goes north after showing strong data all day for the other side of the world.
SOLAR WIND SPEED/DENSITY
The higher the wind speed and the more dense the particles the more likely it is to be a stronger storm.
CME/FLARES
A cme, is generally produced from a sunspot (active region on the sun). This is launched from the sun, and when we are lucky, scores a direct blow on the earth. The stronger the flare/cme, the more likely we are to get those dazzling aurora displays. There is a also a coronal hole, that rotates towards earth every 28 days. This is more luck than anything. Some months it’s stronger than others. Some months, it falls during the full moon, and you’ll find often aurora chasers won’t go out on a full moon unless the data is strong everywhere. The moon tends to wash out the aurora where we live.
Okay, The Aurora Should be Visible Tonight…Now What?
Now the fun starts. During the day gather up everything you will need that night. Know how to get to your location, and tell people when you should be back. For your location, you will want somewhere with a clear view of the northern horizon with no city lights around. The darker sky area the better. This is one of the biggest benefits of northern light chasing in NE Washington versus Seattle and the west side.
Once you get to your location, try not to use a flashlight. You want your eyes to adjust to the visible light as fast as possible. Use a red light, rather than a flashlight, to not ruin your night vision for aurora viewing.
Setting up for your aurora viewing experience
If you are photographing, set up your gear and composition. Often throughout the night, I’ll change lens or locations depending on what the data looks like. Set up your chair and then start drinking. From this point, it’s often a lot of luck. Going out with an experienced chaser can often be helpful. The aurora often appears as a greyish band and misidentified as fog or clouds. The longer your eyes adjust (and the stronger the storm) and often you can see it dance with your eyes. Here, we don’t see color as vibrant as Alaska and Iceland, but it can still be visible.
Camera Settings
My settings range from ISO 800-6400 and shutter speed of 2-15 seconds depending on the lens I choose and visible light that night. Wider, faster lens (14-24mm f/2.8, the 14mm f/1.8, or 20mm f/1.8) are ideal for photographing the northern lights as you have the ability to allow more light into the camera at f/1.8-2.8, than your typical kit lens at f/3.5 to f/4.0. This in turn allows you to use a lower ISO, which results in less grain in your images. If you do not have a remote, once you find your ideal settings, either set a 2 second delay or turn on the interval shooting mode on your camera. This allows you to not have camera shake in your images from having to touch your camera.
With a full moon, you will use a lower the ISO and shutter speed, but the aurora is also more likely to be faint. The images at the bottom of this blog were taken a day or two before the full moon, with the moon directly to the south.
My Favorite Northern Lights Storms
My favorite storms are when the northern lights are pulsating and dancing overhead. The sky lights up with greens, reds, pinks, and purple. Each storm is magical in it’s own right whether it’s in camera or seen with the naked eye. Sometimes you will even get lucky and see the elusive STEVE! Both the top photo and middle photo come from different portions of this night.
Anyone in the Spokane, Nine Mile Falls, Deer Park area (or the Inland Northwest) is more than welcome to join us in Nine Mile Falls Aurora Chasers. I post local aurora viewing information, including meetups, any time there is a potential aurora. I am more that willing to teach anyone that wants to chase the northern lights with their eyes or a camera! We also have a great statewide page Aurora Borealis Washington State
Ready for more Spokane family content? Check out the links below! While you’re here, let’s chat about your upcoming session!
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I am a family photographer located in Deer Park, Washington, north of Spokane, serving the Inland Northwest. Check out my other blogs. Contact me to get on my calendar or for any questions.
