Flight To The Lights

I wrote an article for the NZMCA magazine which was recently published so now I can share this incredible once in a lifetime experience with you (if you haven't already read it of course!). I haven't forgotten the next part of the Northland blog either, that's up next.

Oh. My. Goodness. 

I have just had one of the most incredible (& highly anticipated) experiences of my life. Early last year I was invited by Viva Expeditions to join them on a ‘Southern Lights by Flight’ journey to view the Aurora Australis from within the auroral oval, flying thousands of kilometres south of New Zealand towards Antarctica. 

After a couple of Covid related postponements my dream finally came true and on April 1^st (I was hoping the date wasn’t ominous) I joined over 250 other enthusiastic passengers on an Air NZ 787 Dreamliner for a 10 hour return flight over the Southern Ocean.

Led by  Otago Museum director and astronomer Dr Ian Griffin- who organised the first-ever commercial flight to see the Southern Lights in 2017- the flight also included astronomers, astro-photographers and Antarctic Academy Director Miranda Satterthwaite. 

A ‘Pre Flight Mission’ was held  during  the afternoon before our flight where we toured the International Antarctic Centre and listened to & watched  presentations from Ian & Miranda who explained in detail,  information about our flight and what we could expect to see once we reached the auroral zone including information on the Aurora Australis itself. 

Photography workshops where also held with the astro-photographers assisting  guests with handy hints and tips on how to best photograph the aurora and also to help with camera settings for the flight.

 

Aurora flights are timed around the spring & autumn equinoxes when the aurora display is at its brightest. Thanks to a phenomenon called the Russell McPherron effect, auroras are known to be more frequent and brighter than usual in spring and autumn. 

Close to the equinoxes the alignment of the interplanetary magnetic field and Earth’s magnetic field is such that the two opposing fields can cancel each other out. This creates holes in Earth’s magnetosphere through which particles from the solar wind can flow, giving rise to auroras when they interact with the atmosphere. 

The flights are also planned around the moon phase, a bright moon restricts aurora visibility, so flights are timed close to a new moon when the sky is dark.

Once checked in & through security we had a pre-flight meet & greet near our boarding gate and as 7pm approached we made our way to the aircraft, excitement building in anticipation of the flight of our lives. The Dreamliner is the plane of choice because of the large portholes which makes for better aurora viewing. 

Casting an eye over the Departure Board I see that our flight, NZ1914, is flying to Christchurch. An unusual sight as all the listed departures are to other New Zealand cities. Not us; Christchurch to Christchurch with 10hrs lost in the middle somewhere. And I can’t wait!

There are various seating options available but essentially if you travel in economy, you & your neighbours in the row, swap seats every 20-40 minutes during the aurora viewing period. 

But don’t worry, we flew for 6 hours with the aurora on show so there was plenty of time to view the Southern Lights & in fact towards the end only the most obsessive aurora watchers were left ‘standing’, many others had retired to the middle rows or were just happy to listen to what others were seeing.

We departed Christchurch just after 7pm, flying up through the cloud cover and catching the last glow of sunset on the horizon as we headed south-east towards the Antarctic Circle, aiming for Latitude 64 & what is known as ‘magnetic midnight’. 

Though our ultimate flight path would depend on where the aurora was found. Magnetic midnight is the time of day when the magnetic poles align between the Sun and the Earth; it's said to be the optimum time for viewing auroras.

Full in-flight service is available on the flight (dinner, snacks & breakfast) and we’d only just finished dinner- about 2hrs into the flight- when an excited call came through from the flight deck to inform us that the aurora had been spotted on the horizon.  

I leaned into the window trying to shield the camera from the cabin lights & clicked a couple of photos off just to be sure they weren’t fibbing & sure enough two bright green auroral bands appeared on my camera’s back screen. There was a hurried rush around the cabin to clear the trays and turn the entertainment screens & interior lights off. 

The most important thing to do to view an aurora is to allow our eyes to adjust to the darkness. It can take up to 20 minutes for our pupils to fully dilate and even a glimpse of bright light for just a few seconds will set your dark adaptation back several minutes. This is why there is complete darkness in the cabin of the aircraft and also why people with cameras need to have them ready to go before the flight. 

To enhance the aurora viewing experience even further the plane has permission to fly in 'stealth mode', with all outside navigation lights turned off. Of course there are no other planes within thousands of kilometres; we’re the only ones flying around a dark empty sky on some crazy mission looking for an incredible light show. 

In the cabin around me the excitement was palpable as we approached the aurora and then, with everyone seated, cameras ready & eyes adjusted to the darkness, we entered one of nature’s most stunning, magnificent & unforgettable displays of power. 

For 6 hours we flew under, over & through the aurora, weaving our way back & forward over the Southern Ocean, crossing the International Dateline numerous times, the pilots often banking the plane, left & right so both sides were able to view the depth & height of the display. 

The star trails you can see in some of my photos weren’t caused by a slow shutter speed as is usually the case, the trails are caused by the banking plane, lovely graceful movements. 

We flew directly beneath a corona several times- the crown or centre of an aurora burst- the ultimate position to be to watch a burst of activity. I was lucky enough to capture the side of an exploding display a couple of times. 

And I know what  many of you will be thinking as you read this, ‘ Yes that’s all very well, but can you see the aurora with the naked eye?’  And the answer? Hell yes, you sure can! 

Though our eyes aren't sensitive enough to see the bright colours that show on the camera screen & in photos, you can sometimes see a hint of green & pink, with younger eyes seeing more colour. 

I could certainly see the huge shimmering curtains and pulsing waves as the aurora moved about, along with shooting beams reaching from far below us to high into the heavens above. An aurora becomes visible when high-energy particles from the sun rain down on Earth. 

As these particles get closer to us, they interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and this channels them in the direction of both magnetic poles (hence only seeing the aurora close to the South or North Poles). As the particles are accelerated downwards, they hit atoms in our upper atmosphere (ranging from 90km to 700km high) and this process results in a glowing field of excited gas. 

This is what gives us an incredible natural light show and the range of colours;  oxygen causes the fluorescent green and yellow colour of the aurora (the most common), nitrogen the blue and red colours and sometimes pink, while neon turns the aurora orange.

After what felt like a very short time but turned out to be six hours later, the pilots did a final bank, the aircraft turned & we headed for home leaving dancing beams & a bright green band far behind us. I was still clicking photos as the cabin lights came back on and the plane filled with chatter & the lovely aroma of coffee & breakfast which was soon to be served.

What more can I say? If you hadn’t already gathered as much, I had the most amazing, incredible experience ever, and I would highly recommend the trip to anyone who would like to take a unique, once in a lifetime trip to witness one of the world’s most magical phenomena. 

No worries if you’re not a photographer either, Viva, with the courtesy of the astro-photogs on board, supplies copies of the best photos for all the passengers to download. So you can sit back, relax  & enjoy the show of your life. 

For an aurora chaser like myself this was the ultimate nirvana & guess what? I get to do it all again. I’ve been invited back for a September flight to help out with the photography (update- the fully booked September 2022 flights have been cancelled as Air NZ need their planes for international flights after Covid 19, here's hoping the flights in March 2023 go ahead.
ETA- In fact the March 2023 flights didn't go ahead either & since then, there's been no mention of any further  flights). 

 

Shellie was a guest of Viva Expeditions

Aurora Chasing for Beginners

Whenever I post an Aurora Australis photo on social media I'm usually asked the same questions each time, so I thought I'd do a blog post which I can then re- post in response.

31/8/19- Winton, Southland
f/2.8, 8sec, ISO 1250

Keep in mind that I am far from an expert though, I probably know a little more than you (if you're not already a chaser) but not nearly as much as the many talented aurora experts & astrophotogs out there. I continue to learn with each new aurora.

And this is not a full and comprehensive list of 'how to' either (although now that I've proof read it, it comes pretty close!), just a few basics that might help you tick off one of your bucket list items or, like me, you get bitten by the bug and turn into a fully fledged aurora chaser! 

 The turning point, my very first aurora after 3 years of waiting to view one
 & the cloud nearly put paid to it too- 28/3/17 Taieri Mouth Otago
f/2.8, 15sec, ISO4000

Where can I see an Aurora?

On the southern horizon. The further south you are the better, the Southern Lights are usually, but not always, seen from the bottom half of the South Island. Christchurch, Mackenzie Country, Otago, Central Otago, Queenstown Lakes, Southland & Stewart Island are all top viewing areas for an aurora.  It is possible to see a strong aurora from further north; I've seen photos taken in Wellington, Taranaki & Hawkes Bay but it is rare. 

High on a plateau with reflections- Poolburn Dam, Central Otago
It also helps aurora chasing when I have my home with me, I can often step out the door & start shooting.
f/2.8, 15sec, ISO6400

You'll need to have an unobstructed clear view to the south free of clouds and away from city lights or any other light pollution if at all possible.  A high vantage point such as a hill or mountain is of benefit but not totally necessary if you have that clear view south. A body of water in front of the aurora is a bonus & great for reflections. To find south either use a compass app on your phone or look for the Southern Cross, it points directly south. 

Surrounded by mountain ranges with Cromwell town lights directly below it was still possible
to see this aurora- 5/8/19 Lowburn, Lake Dunstan, Central Otago
f/5.6, 13sec, ISO1000

When does an Aurora happen?

An aurora can happen at anytime of the year through night & day but the months between March and September tend to be the best in the Southern Hemisphere due to the long clear nights of winter. An aurora is caused by solar activity on the sun and this activity is what is monitored and interpreted by the experts who usually have a few days advanced notice of an aurora happening. 

As blue twilight departs stage right the following darkness reveals a beautiful aurora
It can be very frustrating watching the gauges go off during daylight hours,
this aurora had been playing for a a number of hours through the afternoon -
-1/9/19, Riverton Rocks, Southland
f/2.8, 6sec, ISO1600

There are several internet sites & Facebook pages you can follow to get notifications of expected auroras. Sometimes there is very little warning, other times the predictions are several days out. The sites I follow are listed at the end of this blog.

The big one. Can I see it with the naked eye?

I'd like to say there's a 50/50 chance although it does depend on how strong the aurora is. Also as you get used to viewing an aurora you'll be able to pick up more & more of even the most subtle auroras. I'd describe the Lights as looking like a bright white shimmering curtain spread across the sky above the horizon with beams rolling across the curtain shooting far above into the heavens.

BUT & it's a big but, many times you will not see a thing, it will be a total disappointment. Unfortunately due to social media & the increasingly regular news stories that an aurora is about to happen, many people (often with kids & dogs in tow) rush off to the nearest vantage point to watch this amazing spectacle they've seen on their screens; great swathes of crimson, lime green, fiery reds & oranges and blasts of purple. It never looks like that to the naked eye.

This is what can be seen with the naked eye when there is a strong aurora. 

The camera sensor sees a lot more colour which is enhanced when processing the RAW file.

The Big One- 28/5/17, Oreti Plains, Southland
f/2.8, 8sec, ISO2000

Other times you won't see a thing until you check your shot on the back of your camera screen. This might be what you see; a very dark night and a few bright stars (those are stars not dust spots)

And this is what is revealed by the camera, a very subtle aurora. There's a little bit of euphoria when this appears on your screen after you've look out into inky blackness thinking there can't be any action out there tonight. 

My latest aurora (complete with shooting star)- 7/4/21, Lake Ruataniwha, Mackenzie Country
f/2.8, 13 sec, ISO8000

Shorter more defined beams, known as the 'picket fence' can be seen higher up or to the side of the aurora. Or they roll over the aurora curtain as the light dances from side to side.

Picket fence- 28/8/19, Winton, Southland
f/2.8, 8 sec, ISO2500

Off to the far side there is often another strong tall beam, it looks like a spotlight shining into the heavens. This beam is known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement)

STEVE- 22/4/17, Isla Bank, Southland
 f/2.8, 20 sec, ISO1250

Sometimes you get a 'bonus', STEVE and an Elon Musk (destroyer of the night sky) SpaceX Starlink trail.

STEVE & Starlink Trail- Night Sky Cottages, Twizel, Mackenzie Country- 20/3/21
f/2.8, 4 sec, ISO8000

Can I see the colour?

Yes, but again, nothing like you see in photos or on social media. You may see a tinge of pale green & and pink in some of the stronger auroras similar to the photo below, this colouring is unusual though, usually it's shimmering white with maybe a hint of colour. Younger eyes do pick up more colour though. The camera sensor is much more sensitive than our eyes and with a slow shutter speed & large aperture (small number) the lens lets in a lot more light & colour. Sometimes there's also a bit of artistic license taken by photographers in some of their photo processing.

The Big One- 28/5/17, lost somewhere on the Oreti Plains, Southland
f/2.8, 6sec, ISO4000

What camera settings should I use?

How long is a piece of string? Not quite but nearly. Camera settings depend on some key factors; how strong the aurora is and how dark the sky is. Every aurora is different and just when you think you've nailed it, the next one will have you fumbling in the dark again. But generally there are a few things you do need to follow, then adjustments can be made as you progress.

A tripod is a must, you will be taking slow shutter-speed photos, any movement will destroy your once-in-a-lifetime photo. If you don't have a tripod you might be able to make do with a fence post, the top of the car or a nearby rock at a push. But you've been warned, it must be super steady & obviously pointing in the right direction. 

From the back fence of Night Sky Cottages- 20/3/21, Twizel, Mackenzie Country
f/2.8, 13sec, ISO10000

Remote Trigger- to remove any camera shake when the shutter is depressed. If you have one this is good but you can also use the delayed timer on your camera, I have both but tend to use my delayed timer at 2sec just because it's sometimes quicker & easier to setup (I'm always in a rush). The delayed timer allows you to press the shutter & move your hand away before the photo is taken. 

Camera- the best camera is the one you have with you; phone, point & shoot, dSLR or anything in between can capture an aurora. 

A fast wide angle lens is great for capturing the full width of the aurora. The wider the better, mine is a f/2.8, 11mm lens. Fast relates to how big the aperture (the f number) is on the lens. The aperture lets light onto the camera sensor, the bigger the aperture (the smaller number, just to confuse you) the more light is let in and the faster the shutter speed can be. Faster shutter speeds 'freeze' the aurora action & make any movement & the aurora beams more defined rather than smoothed out over a longer shutter speed. An aperture of f/1.4 is the ultimate but you'll pay big money for that lens. But really, just work with what you have. 

Fishing Crib, Poolburn Dam, Central Otago- 21/2/21
f/2.8, 20sec, ISO10000

Focus is really important and often the hardest thing to achieve. Remember it's pitch black out there and your auto focus ain't going to work. If you have an infinity focus setting use this, it's the small figure eight symbol on it's side. 

Otherwise there are a couple of other options; during daylight auto focus on a far away tree or building, then move your lens carefully onto manual focus & don't touch it again, it's set ready to take an aurora shot. Tape it in that position if you have too (this only works if you have a separate lens). 

During darkness you can use your camera's back viewing screen and zoom in on a bright star, manually focus on this and then don't touch the focus again. But do keep checking your photos out through the course of the evening, it's quite common to knock the focus and there's nothing worse than getting home & finding the majority of your photos are out of focus. 

In my hurry to capture the aurora going crazy behind the cottages (read stumbling through a tangled garden to get to a high point) I bumped my focus & didn't recheck it until after the activity had died down.  My 'million dollar shot' was ruined. Click the photo to enlarge to check it out.

Night Sky Cottages, Twizel, Mackenzie Country- 20/3/21
f/2.8, 4 sec, ISO6400

Below is how sharp the above photo should have been. And here you can also see the difference in settings, the moon that highlighted the cottage in the above photo had just about disappeared behind the mountains & the brightness of the aurora has died down so the settings on the photo below have increased to let more light in.

Night Sky Cottages, Twizel, Mackenzie Country- 20/3/21
f/2.8, 8 sec, ISO10000

For better quality & more detail, shoot your photo files in RAW if possible. Even a combination of Jpegs & RAW is good if you're not sure how to process RAW files. At least you'll have something to work on as you get better skilled at processing photo files.

The Big One- 28/5/17, Oreti Plains, Southland
f/2.8, 13sec, ISO1600

Now the actual settings;

Switch your camera to manual. Sorry but auto won't cut the mustard this time. This is all about the exposure triangle, one of the most important things you can learn about photography. Aperture- Shutter Speed- ISO. The art is in balancing all three to get the right exposure of the shot.

The following settings will depend on the brightness of the aurora & whether there's a moon or not (or any other light) and are an average only. You'll need to experiment & adjust to suit the night.

ISO 6400 -12800
You can go higher but this can introduce more 'noise', that grainy effect you see on low light photos.)

Shutter Speed- 10-30 seconds
The darker the night the longer the shutter speed. The longer the shutter speed the more smoothed out the scene will be. And you'll also have the beginning of star trails.

Aperture- as already mentioned the wider (small number) the better. My lens is f/2.8. You want to let in as much light as possible, it's pretty dark out there even when there's pesky moonlight illuminating the scene.

And that's it, click away! Oh wait....one more thing, make sure you have a full battery &/or a spare. Night photography draws a lot of battery, you don't want to run out right in the middle of a great show. 

Oreti Plains, Southland- 22/4/17
f/2.8, 6sec, ISO1000

Processing

If you've shot in Jpegs you're good to go.

If you've shot in RAW you'll need to process the files. RAW files are like the negatives of film cameras. They need work done to them to bring out the scene you have captured (in other words they need to be developed). This is an art in itself and can take quite a bit of learning with lots of trial & error especially with night shots. And just when you think you have it covered the next aurora will be completely different & you'll have to start all over again. I use Lightroom 99% of the time, Photoshop occasionally and there are also other photo processing programmes out there that specialize in astrophotography.

Round Bush, Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Country- 13/3/21
And even when you haven't quite got that clear view looking south
 give it a go. You may surprise yourself.
f/2.8, 10sec, ISO16000

Before we move on to the aurora sites to follow, there's one last item...

Aurora etiquette 

You'd think that it's a big wide world out there and there would be plenty of places to view an aurora from and have the place to yourself. And sometimes you can find those places but more often than not & especially once you start following the aurora pages you'll learn that there are certain locations where it is very popular to watch and photograph the aurora from. 

There is really only one tip but it's the most important etiquette tip of all. Do not make light.

The Big One- 28/5/17, SH6, Winton, Southland
Headlights of an approaching vehicle & taillights illuminated the roadside vegetation. 
f/2.8, 68sec, ISO4000

Please don't go driving into the location with your lights blazing. You will most certainly get the glare from others already there. Have your camera set up & clothing/jackets/drink bottle etc orgainised as much as possible before you leave so you're not shining torches or need your inside car light on as you fumble about locating your gear.

The Big One- 28/5/17, Winton, Southland
Headlights left on as the car occupants checked out the action which was clearly visible
 to traffic on the highway (luckily the shot wasn't too bad, the light illuminating the foreground) 
f/2.8, 5sec, ISO5000

Turn your park lights on if you need to see & drive very carefully as there will be photographers already standing with their tripods shooting the aurora. Turn you car's inside light off before you open the door so you don't flood the area with light. Any artificial light will ruin their shots especially if they are doing a timelapse of the aurora which can run from a few minutes to a few hours. 

Bright lights also destroy your night vision and those around you too (night vision can take 15-20 minutes to regain, longer if you have older eyes). You risk missing out on actually seeing that aurora with the naked eye while waiting for your night vision to return.

The Big One- 28/5/17, Winton, Southland
f/2.8, 4sec, ISO3200

Leave your cellphone in the car. It's light, including the flash, is the biggest destroyer of all.

Turn your camera's back display screen down as low as you can or off, believe me it's really bright when you are out there on a dark night, even when you might have the place to yourself. It'll not only ruin other's photos it'll blind you to what activity is going on around you. Like the possum that tootled past brushing my tripod one night.

Disable your camera's flash, turn it off before you get to your location. It has no purpose at all in aurora photography.

Wear a head torch (on very low beam), face away from the aurora to use it and use it sparingly. Photographers are usually very friendly but don't go bowling up to them with your head torch shining brightly into their eyes and camera asking for tips. Do not use any red light, they are great if you're an astronomer but no good at all if you are an astrophotographer. You could use a small torch and use your hand as a shade cupped around it.

I'm sure you've now got the message- Do Not Make Light

ETA- here's what can happen when you flood the scene with vehicle headlights, this happened to me a couple of days after I wrote this blog at the Tekapo River in Mackenzie Country.

Riverbed rocks highlighted by the headlights

What it should have looked like- Tekapo River- 17/04/21
f/2.8, 13sec, ISO16000

One final tip, look for items that shouldn't be in the scene, like powerlines (click to enlarge).

And also make sure you check your back screen display once you have captured a couple of shots,
check for items that shouldn't be in the shot, things like powerlines! (see above photo)
And especially if you have a wide angle lens which covers a large area.
22/4/17, Winton, Southland, f/2.8, 10sec, ISO1000

Sites to follow

And now for those sites to follow. This is not a comprehensive list by any means but the ones I follow and find very handy. You may need to do a bit of homework to understand some of what they are reporting (I can't hand it all to you on a plate) but at least you'll have something to work on. 

Facebook-

Aurora Australis (NZ)

This is the site for checking in on what is happening each night, for posting photos, asking questions or anything else to do with the aurora and is great for seeing what people are doing & where they have been. Look for Les' daily report on predictions for the coming night. You're also likely to get notifications of solar storms & alerts as they happen, as long as contributors are not out there capturing their own photos. 

Shellie Evans Photography

Like & follow my photography page, I'll post a message when I think there's a decent aurora due. I can't guarantee it but I'll do my best. Sometimes there is very little notice & I'm too busy 'Out There' doing my own aurora chasing. 

Websites-

Glendale App Aurora Alerts New Zealand

This is a great app to check out and my go to for alerts & real time graphs & gauges. after the Aurora Australis NZ Facebook page, once you navigate around all the advertising.

Learn about solar wind speed & Kp numbers, the higher the Kp number the stronger the aurora. The Kp number measures the strength of the aurora. It runs from 0 (very weak) to 9, which indicates a major geomagnetic storm with strong auroras. Anything above Kp5 is classed as a geomagnetic storm. And remember to convert the time to NZ, it's often shown in UTC (Universal Time) 

SpaceWeatherLive

This one has a great KP-index indicator.

And finally

Here is the link to the blog I wrote about The Big One, the aurora I've mentioned several times through this blog- An Absolutely Amazing Aurora

The Big One- a quick grab somewhere on the road to Riverton, Southland
Two photos stitched together, Invercargill city light glow on the left.
Even with an 11mm lens it's sometimes still not wide enough to capture a full aurora
28/5/17- f/2.8, 6sec, ISO4000

Auroras since writing the blog;

Spectacular Aurora- 4/11/21, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel
f/2.8, 5sec, ISO8000

Spectacular Aurora- 4/11/21, Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Country
f/2.8, 15sec, ISO12800

Spectacular Aurora- 4/11/21, Lake Ohau, Mackenzie Country
f/2.8, 10sec, ISO12800

An impressive STEVE beam (Strong Thermal Emissions Velocity Enhancement) Looking west
Spectacular Aurora- 4/11/21, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel
f/2.8, 6sec, ISO12800

An impressive STEVE beam (Strong Thermal Emissions Velocity Enhancement) Looking East
Spectacular Aurora- 4/11/21, Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel
f/2.8, 6sec, ISO12800

Poolburn Dam, Central Otago 27/02/22
f/2.8, 8sec, ISO16000

Lake Ruataniwha, Twizel 14/03/22
f/2.8, 8sec, ISO16000

Just before dawn blue hour & fog over Kellands Pond, Twizel, 14/03/22
f/2.8, 15sec, ISO12800

And the ultimate & a trip of a lifetime for an aurora chaser;

My blog post here- Flight to the Lights- April 1/2, 2022

More photos from the flight here-  Southern Lights Photo Album

Flight to the Lights, Southern Ocean 1/2 April 2022
f/2.8, 2.5sec, ISO10000