So, You Saw the Northern Lights Last Weekend, Eh?
We all woke up to hundreds of pictures of the aurora borealis on social media Saturday morning.
Vibrant displays of colour from what seemed to be every corner of Canada. My heart sank a little when I’d realized I’d missed such an incredible show. Although cameras intensified what was visible to the human eye, as I heard people describe their experiences and saw photo upon photo of unimaginable greens and pinks, I could feel just a taste of the awe and wonder that so many must have experienced this past weekend.
Now I will dream of these breathtaking lights until they dance across the night skies once more. And when that time comes, I certainly won’t be turning in early!
Through the eyes (and camera lenses) of the Explore community across Canada, here is what the geomagnetic solar storm looked like:
“This was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will never forget. It left me completely speechless when I saw the colourful, vivid auroras dancing all around me.”
Location: Collingwood, Ontario
Camera & settings: Shot on Sony a7 III. ISO 400-640, f 1.4, SS: 8
Follow @taniawoodphotography
“It was one of the most surreal experiences taking these photos, I’ve never seen northern lights this bright or this colourful! Auroras are one of my favourite things to photograph and we were absolutely spoiled with this show lasting hours!”
Location: Healy Creek Trailhead, Banff, Alberta
Camera & settings: Shot on a Sony APS-C, 16 mm lens. ISO 200, f 1.4, SS: 1
Follow @rdeangelis_
“I was without my big camera, all I had was my iPhone, but I managed to capture this photo with enough light to see the Aurora. I headed to the lake to face some darkness which was the best idea!”
Location: Van Wagner’s Beach, Hamilton, Ontario
Camera & settings: Shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max. 24 mm f 1.7, ISO 1600, SS: 0.5
Follow @thelandofdustin and dustin.land
“After driving to the waterfront I used to call home for years, I saw the entire sky light up with the aurora borealis. I could see the dancing lights reflecting off of Georgian Bay. Each minute brought about a new, diverse experience that had my camera working all night.”
Location: Midland, Ontario (Georgian Bay)
Camera & settings: Shot on a Sony A7IV, 1.4 GM lens. ISO 800, f 2.0, SS: 3.2
Follow @j_jdubbs and leolensphotography.com
“When my son and I went outside to see if we could see the northern lights, we were blown away by what the naked eye could actually see. So, I grabbed my camera and we headed out to a few spots to shoot. I tried a variety of compositions, ISO’s and F-stops as this was my first time shooting something like this. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us to see something of this magnitude as far south as we are in southern New Brunswick.”
Location: Pleasant Ridge, New Brunswick
Camera & settings: Shot on Sony a6000. ISO 100, f 1.4, SS: 30
Follow @adam_constantine
“It was the most stunning aurora I’ve ever seen, and I couldn’t imagine viewing it in a better place than the Canadian Rockies. At one point you could see a 360-degree view, with all the colours visible to the naked eye!”
Location: Lake Minnewanka, Banff, Alberta
Camera & settings: Shot on iPhone 14 Pro. 24 mm, ISO 1600, f 1.78, SS: 2.7
Follow @martizzly
“I never thought I’d see as bright an aurora borealis as this in my region of British Columbia. Everyone in town was out on the streets looking up at the night sky. It really felt like an experience to bring everyone together.”
Location: Revelstoke, BC
Camera & settings: Shot on Nikon D750. ISO 800, f 2.8, SS: 3
Follow: @shanncrane
“I was nearly falling asleep when a message from a friend came through—she sent a picture of streaks of purple and green over City Hall in Vancouver, BC. I rushed onto my patio and gaped at the night sky. It took a few seconds for my eyes to make out the faint colours glowing like dim embers in the sky, but when I held my iPhone camera up, the sky ignited into a fiery display of colour. Being from northern Alberta, I’ve seen the aurora plenty of times, but this was my first time seeing purple light in the sky—and my partner’s first time seeing them ever. It was magical.”
Location: Coquitlam, BC
Camera & settings: Shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max. Night mode – 24 mm, f 1.78, ISO 2500, SS: 0.5
Follow @alisonkarlenehodgins
