10/8/13: Milky Way and Aurora from Loveland Pass

[FFLpilot]

Went up last Tuesday night to try and catch the edge of the aurora borealis, which was predicted to creep down our way, which doesn't happen too often. Got some pretty decent shots that night, though the aurora was only faintly visible to the naked eye as a reddish haze in the sky. Long exposures rendered it more visible, though.

The first image is a 7-image stitch looking west through north, and you can barely see the red haze of the edge of the aurora on the right horizon.

001_131008-MilkyWay-LovePass_Panorama3-FINAL-blog-WatermarkTest-3.jpg

This second image shows the red 'curtaining' of the aurora a bit more clearly, with the Vasquez peaks below and left:

004_131008-5D_25262-blog-Aurora.jpg

Lastly, a composite from a time-lapse I compiled of 159 images spanning 90 minutes. You can see three hikers descending the ridge line:



I also threw together a short 9-image time-lapse that shows the red veils of the aurora moving a bit, which you can see here:

http://jeffwarnerphoto.com/2013/10/09/1 ... d-pass-co/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you want the backstory on the hikers (interesting story!), check out this post:

http://jeffwarnerphoto.com/2013/10/09/1 ... d-pass-co/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Cheers!

[swampthing]

These are incredible! I have not been able to master catching star trails, so I appreciate your skill. Thank you so much for sharing.

[TeamDino5280]

Great shots!!!!!!

[alsrun]

Beautiful. When I first moved to Crested Butte I saw a similar sight while looking north from my home and thought that the town was on fire until I realized that it was the Aurora. This was back in 2001 or 2002. Thanks for posting.

[sunny1]

Fantastic photos - thanks for sharing! Very much enjoyed reading the tribute to the fallen. RIP, soldier.
Thanks for sharing a truly serendipitous evening!

[bonehead]

Thanks for posting this.
Honorable men, all of them.

[Mark A Steiner]

Thanks for posting this.
Honorable men, all of them.

Amen on both counts.

Thanks too for the fine effort shooting at the skies.

[RobertKay]

Thanks for posting this.
Honorable men, all of them.

Amen on both counts.

Thanks too for the fine effort shooting at the skies.

+2. Thank you to all of our military and their families.

[FFLpilot]

Glad you all enjoyed the evening's images. As I wrote in the 'Tribute' post, it's funny how you take an impulsive trip up into the mountains expecting to find one thing, and end up finding something completely different.

Regards,

Jeff

[kushrocks]

FFLpilot . . . these are absolutely awesome. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for posting this.
Honorable men, all of them.

Amen on both counts.

Thanks too for the fine effort shooting at the skies.

+2. Thank you to all of our military and their families.

Well Said

[JTOlson26]

What a great back-story. Thank you to all who have served and are serving.

[bonehead]

it's funny how you take an impulsive trip up into the mountains expecting to find one thing, and end up finding something completely different.

Absolutely.
Life can take one by surprise.
Stay open to it.