Auroras - STEVE Arc
Comet NEOWISE and STEVE Aurora over Waterton River (July 14, 2020)
Comet NEOWISE (C/2020 F3) with the Northern Lights and a STEVE arc aurora to the left, all over the Waterton River at Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, on July 13-14, 2020. This was from the Maskinonge picnic area. The Big Dipper is at upper left. A very faint green picket fence aurora is at right above the comet, a characteristic of STEVE arcs. This was an astounding night for sky phenomena! This is a blend of a stack of six exposures for the ground and water to smooth noise, blended with a single short exposure for the sky, all 15 seconds at f/2 and ISO 3200, with the 20mm Sigma Art lens and Canon EOS Ra camera (with the Nikon-mount Sigma lens adapted to the EOS Ra with a Metabones F to RF adapter). LENR employed on all shots to reduce thermal noise this warm summer night.
Car, Comet and STEVE Under the Stars
A shot of my RAV4 with Comet NEOWISE in the sky at right along with an aurora and a magenta STEVE arc at left. Quite the sky! This was at Maskinonge Pond in Waterton Lakes National Park, July 13-14, 2020. The stars are nicely reflected in the car windows and body. A single 30 second exposure at ISO 3200 with the Sigma 20mm lens on the Canon EOS Ra.
STEVE Auroral Arc over Saskatchewan Star Party
A fragment of a STEVE auroral arc to the northwest over the main observing field at the Saskatchewan Summer Star Party, on August 31, 2019, just before midnight CST. The arc became more sharply defined over the previous 15 minutes, but then faded shortly affter this, though clouds were also moving in from the south. This was seen through a fortunate break in the clouds this night. There was a general wash of a diffuse arc of normal green aurora across the north as well. The Big Dipper is at centre. Kp Index was 5 this this, during a geomagnetic storm. This was from the Meadows Campground at the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Centre Block, south of Maple Creek. This is a 25-second exposure with the 15mm Laowa lens at f/2 and Sony a7III at ISO 3200.
Thanksgiving Harvest Aurora Panorama #2
A panorama of the Northern Lights along my northern horizon from home in southern Alberta, on October 7/8, 2018, Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. After much weather delay the harvest was in fact in progress this night, thus the lights from combines and trucks to the north at left. The canola field where I am standing was harvested just that afternoon. The predictions were for a Kp5 to 6 display, but it seemed lower at Kp4 and never became more than a horizon arc with little activity from my location. Sites in far northern Alberta and the NWT saw a great display. Capella and the Pleiades are rising at right. The Big Dipper is low in the northwest at left. The oddity here is a blob of white that moved from east to west in the few minutes it was visible, at the end of what looks like a separate faint arc. It’s hard to say if this was anything related to the STEVE arc phenomenon. This is a stitch of 6 segments, each with the 24mm Sigma Art lens at f/4, and Nikon D750 at ISO 1600, for 30 seconds each. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw.
Friend Stephen Bedingfield standing under the Aurora at a site near Yellowknife, NWT. This is a single exposure, 25 seconds at f/2 with the 14mm lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 3200.
STEVE Aurora over Bow Lake with the ISS
This is a rare appearance of the unusual STEVE auroral arc on the night of July 16-17, 2018, with a relatively low Kp Index of only 2 to 3. While the auroral arc was visible the ISS made a bright pass heading east. This is a blend of a single 15-second exposure for the sky and ground, with seven 15-second exposures for the ISS, but masked to reveal just the ISS trail and its reflection in the water. The ISS shots were taken at 3-second intervals, thus the gaps. All with the Sigma 20mm Art lens at f/2 and Nikon D750 at ISO 6400. Taken from Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta.
STEVE Aurora at Bow Lake Looking North
The unusual STEVE auroral arc across the northern sky at Bow Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta on the night of July 16-17, 2018. The more normal green auroral arc is lower across the northern horizon. But STEVE here appears more pink. The STEVE aurora was colourless to the eye but did show faint fast-moving rays, here blurred by the long exposure. They were moving east to west. The Big Dipper is at left. The lights are from Num-Ti-Jah Lodge. This is a single exposure for the sky and a mean-stacked blend of 3 exposures for the ground to smooth noise. All 15 seconds at f/2 with the Sigma 20mm Art lens and Nikon D750 at ISO 6400.
Steve Auroral Arc over House #2 (May 6, 2018)
The unusual STEVE auroral arc over my house and reflected in the irrigation pond in southern Alberta, on May 6, 2018, on a partly cloudy night. A dim and inactive main aurora was to the north, but the Steve arc crossed the sky from east to west. This is a single 15-second image with the Sony a7III at ISO 3200 and Canon 24mm lens at f/2.
Fish-Eye Steve #1 (May 6, 2018)
A fish-eye lens / all-sky view of the STEVE aurora arc across the sky and in clouds on May 6, 2018, from home in southern Alberta, with a quiet aurora to the north providing a green glow along the horizon. This night the aurora was very active to the north and east with a terrific display in Churchill, Manitoba about an hour before this, matching the usual STEVE characteristic of him appearing as a major storm subsides. Here STEVE shows his characteristic pink and white streak and green picket-fence fingers. A satellite appears at the centre at the zenith. West is to the right, east to the left, south to the bottom. This was with the 8mm Sigma fish-eye lens at f/3.5 for 15 seconds with the Canon 6D MkII at ISO 6400. It is one frame from 180 shot for a time-lapse movie.
Steve Auroral Arc over House #1 (May 6, 2018)
The unusual STEVE auroral arc over my house in southern Alberta, on May 6, 2018, on a partly cloudy night. A dim and inactive main aurora was to the north, but the Steve arc crossed the sky from east to west. This is a single 10-second image with the Sony a7III at ISO 3200 and Canon 24mm lens at f/2.
Fish-Eye Steve #1 (May 6, 2018)
A fish-eye lens / all-sky view of the STEVE aurora arc across the sky and in clouds on May 6, 2018, from home in southern Alberta, with a diffuse aurora to the north casting streaks of purple up the sky, and a green glow along the horizon. This night the aurora was very active to the north and east with a terrific display in Churchill, Manitoba about an hour before this, matching the usual STEVE characteristic of him appearing as a major storm subsides. Here STEVE shows his characteristic pink and white streak and green picket-fence fingers. A satellite appears at the centre at the zenith. West is to the right, east to the left, south to the bottom. This was with the 8mm Sigma fish-eye lens at f/3.5 for 15 seconds with the Canon 6D MkII at ISO 6400. It is one frame from 180 shot for a time-lapse movie.
Fragments of Steve Aurora #3 (May 5, 2018)
A view of a Steve isolated arc aurora in the twilight looking east on May 5, 2018, but appearing only as fragmentary bits not a full arc across the sky. Steve was in view as it got dark, suggesting the main show was earlier in the evening and further east. By the time it got dark over Alberta the aurora was dying down and the Steve display fading and breaking up. A faint pink pillar was visible to the eye as a white streak to the east here.
Fragments of Steve Aurora #2 (May 5, 2018)
A view of a Steve isolated arc aurora in the twilight looking northwest on May 5, 2018, but appearing only as fragmentary bits not a full arc across the sky. Steve was in view as it got dark, suggesting the main show was earlier in the evening and further east. By the time it got dark over Alberta the aurora was dying down and the Steve display fading and breaking up. A faint pink pillar was visible to the eye as a white streak – the green picket fence fingers were not.
Fragments of Steve Aurora #1 (May 5, 2018)
A view of a Steve isolated arc aurora in the twilight looking northwest on May 5, 2018, but appearing only as fragmentary bits not a full arc across the sky. Steve was in view as it got dark, suggesting the main show was earlier in the evening and further east. By the time it got dark over Alberta the aurora was dying down and the Steve display fading and breaking up. A faint pink pillar was visible to the eye as a white streak – the green picket fence fingers were not.
A classic auroral arc across the north on April 10, 2018 at about 2 am MDT, on a night with the Steve arc active across the sky from east to west and overhead. This was from home in southern Alberta. This is with the Canon 6D MkII and Rokinon 14mm SP.
A selfie of me under the auroral arc known as Steve — or STEVE, Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement. This was at 1:50 am MDT on April 10 from southern Alberta. A fairly bright normal aurora was to the north. This is looking southeast, with Jupiter rising at right in Libra, and Arcturus above to the right of Steve. Steve is an odd isolated arc that appears briefly and often has a purple or pink color. His origin is still unknown. This was with the Canon 6D MkII and Rokinon SP 14mm.
A view looking straight up to the zenith with the isolated auroral arc known as STEVE arcing across the sky, with his characteristic pink color and showing some fingers of green in his usual picket fence appearance. This was about 1:40 am MDT time on April 10 at home in southern Alberta. The Big Dipper is above centre; Arcturus is below and left. Leo and Regulus are at lower right. The naked eye Coma Berenices cluster is below centre. This was with the Canon 6D MkII and Rokinon 14mm SP.
Purple Curtain and Green Auroral Arc
A dim purple curtain ahead of (south of?) the main green auroral arc, from the Norway coast south of Rorvik. This looks a little like a “STEVE” arc but seems more curtain-like and too close to the main aurora, though it has a similar colour - mauve and white. Its motion was west to east. Seen March 16, 2018 in the early evening sky.
Panorama of the Northern Lights and Winter Stars
A 240° panorama of a not very active display of Northern Lights to the north (left of centre), then sweeping around to the south (at right) and the winter stars of Orion and Canis Major. Sirius is bright and in some cloud, accentuating its size and colour. Leo is rising at centre. The Big Dipper and Ursa Major are left of centre. The Milky Way appears at far left, in the area of Perseus and Cepheus, and again at far right through Monoceros and past Orion and Canis Major. The aurora display the characteristic green and red curtains from oxygen, but there is also a dim red curtain at left (northwest) and at centre (east) south of the main curtain and separated. It looks like a dim Steve arc but this was not visible to the eye and never became well formed or bright. This is a stitch of 8 segments with the 14mm Sigma Art lens, at f/2 for 13 seconds each, and Nikon D750 at ISO 3200. Stitched with Adobe Camera Raw. Taken from home January 13, 2018. The constellations are distorted slightly by the panorama projection and warping. I began a time-lapse after this, but clouds rolled in from the northwest.
Isoslated Auroral Arc Overhead
The isolated auroral arc of March 2, 2017 overhead at 11:40 pm MST. Looking south with the arc above Leo and Cancer.
Aurora Panorama with Isolated Arc
A panorama from west (left) to southeast (right) of an aurora display, March 2, 2017, from southern Alberta, with a classic aurora oval to the north, and the odd-looking isolated arc to the west and east (and it passed overhead) glowng pink in color, with a bare hint of green fringe. These arcs are not uncommon but seem to be unique to latitudes far to the south of the main auroral oval. In this case, the arc was overhead for us at 51° North, while the main oval was 5° to 10° farther north. Jupiter is rising to the right of the eastern arc. Orion is setting at far left. This is a stitch of 8 segments, each with the 20mm Sigma lens at f/2 for 20 seconds each at ISO 3200, rather long but I wanted to bring out the faint isolated arc.
The isolated auroral arc of March 2, 2017 in the east at 11:28 pm MST.
The isolated auroral arc of March 2, 2017 in the west at 11:25 pm MST.
The isolated auroral arc of March 2, 2017 overhead at 11:23 pm MST. looking north with the arc above the Big Dipper.