The long dark aurora
Discrete auroras are sharply-defined features within the diffuse aurora they vary in brightness from barely visible to bright enough for reading a newspaper at night. A diffuse aurora is a featureless glow in the sky that may not be visible to the naked eye even on a dark night and defines the extent of the auroral zone (the area in which auroras are visible).
The Earth’s magnetic field directs the charged particles to the Earth’s magnetic poles-as a result, it is the easiest to see the aurora near the poles.Īn aurora is classified as either a diffuse or a discrete aurora. The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and then are directed by the Earth’s magnetic field into the atmosphere. solar windconsists of free, high-energy electrons and protons that originate at the sun these particles retain the energy until they collide with the Earth’s atmosphere, causing the northern lightsĪn aurora (plural aurorae or auroras from the Latin word aurora forsunrise) is a natural light display in the sky, particularly in the high-latitude (arctic and antarctic) regions it is caused by the collision of atmospheric atoms with energetic, charged particles coming from space.auroraan atmospheric phenomenon created by charged particles from the sun striking the upper atmosphere, creating colored lights in the sky.
The aurora’s color depends on the type of atom that is excited and how its electrons return from those excited states to the ground state.The solar wind coming from the sun is the origin of the charged protons and electrons that excite oxygen and nitrogen and cause auroras.Auroras result from emissions of photons in the Earth’s upper atmosphere (above 80 km), from ionized nitrogen atoms regaining an electron, and from electrons from oxygen and nitrogen atoms returning from an excited state to ground state.An aurora is a natural light display in the sky, particularly in the high-latitude (arctic and antarctic) regions, that is caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high-altitude atmosphere.And now Apple has added the “live photos” feature, which can bring a whole new dimension to a difficult subject like the northern lights. Brilliant performance in low light (like if you’re, say, shooting the night sky).
#The long dark aurora portable
And while most people don’t lug around €5,000 ($5,500)-worth of camera gear, a seven-man crew and a portable editing suite, most people do have the next best thing: their smartphones.
#The long dark aurora professional
A little shy at times, even for professional photographers. The northern lights can be an elusive subject.
#The long dark aurora manual
Geek out with your manual settings - a little time messing with exposure and ISO can make all the difference.Hello, darkness, my old friend - light pollution will ruin otherwise great shots of the aurora.Don’t skip the tripod - unless you’re a robot, you’re not gonna hold your camera still enough during long exposures.Above all else, know thy phone - spend some quality time with your built-in camera and the adjustments you can make.You absolutely can, and your smartphone might just be your best bet! Here’s what you need to know for your next Northern Lights Tour: Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t photograph the northern lights.