The evening shoot of the 9/3-2012

Shot in Norway, Bodø at our local parking at Løpsmarka,

The massive X5,4 solar wind that was comming for earth around local 11:30 GMT+1 got it`s blast around local midnight here in Bodø !

The evening was going to be cloudy, later from 22:00PM to 24:00 it was going to be spread clouds.
I got to the parking spot at around 20:30PM and there was clouds everywhere ! At 20:54PM i got my first sight of the weak lights crossing above me.

21:28PM after waiting for the clouds to leave i saw a quite active line that swept across the sky, getting to shoot it while passing between two layers of clouds !

21:31PM Gaute joined the shoot, and we waited in my car for a opening in the sky to pass over us ! Gaute spotted the moonlight lit up the front of the clouds, like a wall.
So we knew it was a opening in the sky, we could see stars above it ! We saw it at 22:03PM. We waited in my car for the opening to come over us ! At 22:36PM Gaute saw some auroras in front of us, so we got out of my car with our gear preparing for the first shoot together !

My first shot was of a Zenith Corona right above us, it was like a spiral, curved around it`s tie point.
We shot the auroras with several rays and lines crossing around us, giving us a very nice show !
At 23:01PM it was over, nothing to see up there. I did actually prepare to leave, but we waited for yet another show
I sayd that i wanted to get some sleep, so midnight was it, and then i would leave.

23:25PM the Northern Lights lit up again ! strong lines with massive columns and rays all over us ! Well we started shooting again !
23:29PM The massive corona started right above us ! I had just shot a portrait of me and my Car with auroras behind me
So i rushed to the camera, and tilted it up to shoot right into the corona ! It was so extreme, a lot of fast rays moving around !
I set the camera to 500 ISO, F2.8 and 6 seconds of exposure at 11mm !

I was very happy with the shot ! I was yet more happy i waited out for all the clouds to leave ! Allmost 3 hours of gazing at clouds ! It was a very great experience to get ! I got my best shot of a zenith corona too !
I shot a lot of more pictures of the corona shape. The best show was over after 6 seconds !
So my shutter for the shot was perfect !
The corona was over after 1 minute, it was very weak the last 40 seconds of it. After some few minutes we did see active remains of it, but not powerfull enough to be a nice corona

23:44PM The massive after show started, green everywhere, nothing fancy to shoot, so we called it the night ! Nice timing too ^^ Got back before midnight ! And headed for bed while looking at the massive after show from my window at the base

For more of my pictures of the Northern Lights, please have a look at my folder : [link]