-Can I see the Aurora without a camera?

Yes, all of these Aurora shows were visible to the naked eye. Due to the way our eyes behave at night, they don’t perceive the colors as vividly as the camera’s sensor.

The human eye has two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones. We use the rods for light sensitivity and the cones for color. Since the cones require much more light to work, most of our night vision is black and white.

That said, I’ve seen strong shows where greens and reds were visible without a camera and the Aurora were dancing and pulsing overhead. Weaker shows typically look like a translucent cloud on the horizon.

I’ve processed these photos to try to stay true to how they would appear to our cones. This means slight boosts in exposure and mild boosts in saturation and vibrance but nothing too extreme as I want them to be lifelike.

Thanks for your interest and keep looking up!

-What gear do you use to capture the Aurora?

-A high resolution camera (Nikon Z7 II)

-A wide angle lens with a fast aperture (NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S)

-A stable tripod (Peak Designs Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod)

-A lens warmer to keep the lens from fogging up

-An Arsenal 2 Pro to trigger my timelapses and review images from my phone

-Extra camera batteries and USB battery packs to power my accessories

-Lots of caffeine!