Following my ad hoc aurora timelapse from the early hours of tuesday 13th, the forecast - both weatherwise and aurora wise was good for Tuesday night, with a thin crescent moon not having too much impact, clear skies with temps down below -10c and the KP index forecast 4+. After camera misunderstandings in the early hours, I had practiced my setting up routine and was ready.
We ate evening meal as it was going dark, and then I was on point duty, eyes on the skies for the first signs of the green stuff. Absolutely nothing was happening, I took test shots with the camera to see if it was below naked eye visibility, but no, nothing. By about 10pm I was cursing and cussing as nothing had happened, despite the auroral oval suggesting something should. Mrs T got fed up and went to bed, so I sat with the ligths out next to my big panorama window perusing the web with a side eye on the sky.
Just before midnight I was was concious the sky suddenly lit up. I was out in a flash, but the aurora was doing it's usual trick of making me stand with my mouth wide open immersed in the spectacle. Tearing myself from Medusas glare I went and grabbed the camera and started a timelapse - 10mm f4, 15 secs, iso 3200. The intervalometer just kept the camera firing away.
11pm-aurora-13022024 by Mark Townley, on FlickrThe brighter moments were lighting up the landscape, and this is only a KP4. The sky changes to a more diffuse green glow as it subsides.
Fired up by this, I decided I was in for the night and the coffee went on.
With the aurora now faded I decided on a timelapse of the milky way, however after shooting it and checking it back realised not much was visible as the camera lense (camera and tripod) was now heavily coated in frost. Nothing short of a dew heater was getting it off the lens. Then, just to torment me, it was about 4am at this point, the aurora decided it was putting on one last blast. Weighing things up I swapped for the cameras stock 18-55mm lens and shooting 18mm f4, 15 secs, iso 3200 went for another run.
4am-aurora-14022024-small by Mark Townley, on FlickrIt worked, even with a smaller field of view. By 5am it had all subsided again, and there is only so much coffee you can drink, so, I called it a night.
Today is snowing, tomorrow is whale watching, however Thursday night offers clear skies, even if the forecast for aurora aint great. Either way, if I can see the sky I will be looking!
Hope you like!
Mark
You are also amazing being able to stay awake that long 
