Friday Night Lights

The aurora show on Friday (May 10th, 2024) was incredible! So many different things made it unique. The variety of colors, including yellow, which is quite rare. The corona overhead all night. The aurora visible to the naked eye from my driveway, and from my car driving on I5 through Everett.

All that is great, but two things stick out for me. First, how many people got to see it! I've been incredibly fortunate to be able to see and photograph the aurora dozens of times in many places around the world. But many of the people who filled my feed with aurora pics on Saturday had never seen it, and outside of Friday, may never get another opportunity to see it. Aurora hunting usually requires a combination of conditions, luck, effort, and patience, and for many people the payoff isn't worth it. But it's incredible to think that people were able to step out into their driveways with their family and see it. I love that!

The other thing that sticks out for me was after I got home from chasing. I had family stuff on Saturday so I got home about 1:15am, and went to wake up my 6 year old son. He was SO EXCITED to go out and see it, and still hasn't stopped talking about it. I took some pictures of him smiling in front of our house with the aurora in the background. That might be my favorite image of the aurora I've ever taken!

As far as the storm itself, this was the largest storm since October of 2003. The world was a lot different 20 years ago. I remember looking at the forecast on my computer at home, and then driving for a few hours hoping to see it. No cellphones then, so I had no idea what the aurora was doing, what others were seeing, and so forth. I managed to see a bright green ribbon from I5 in Everett again, but otherwise wasn't very successful. I didn't even know what I was looking for or how to spot aurora with the naked eye before letting my eyes adapt, and I didn't have camera with me at all. It's fun to think how much the world - and I - have changed!

I’ve shared a few of my favorite images from that night below. I hope you enjoy!