Northern Lights Spectators

Last night’s (23 April 2023) Aurora borealis was so bright you could still see it when looking straight toward the moon. The brightest Northern Lights were actually behind me during this shot. This shot was taken at the ruins located at Freda.

I have wanted to get a shot of this circular pool with the sky’s reflection in it for a very long time. While I like this picture, I wish I could have had it a little bit wider and at. a slightly different angle.

I also like that this picture shows the larger number of people that were there watching the northern lights. I am not one for large crowds and most people who want to see the northern lights feel they need flashlights to get to the locations good for seeing them - so, I tend to get a little frustrated as people move through my shots using their lights and generally being loud. I just try to remind myself that everyone enjoys these phenomena in their own way and while their way might just be different mine, they are still having an awesome experience that most people in the world don’t get.

Light Ripples

After a weekend of cloudy skies for the first Upper Peninsula Dark Sky Festival, the universe still taunted us with an amazing Aurora display that was mostly concealed behind a thick layer of clouds. However, that cloud bank stopped about 15 miles (by road…not direct line) from my house. So, we ventured further south to catch the lights of the north (as did about a hundred other people, too - evidenced by the line of lights coming down the bluff in the picture).

One of the things that I love about the Keweenaw is the interesting way nature mixes with remnants of human industrial history. This particular location is the ruins of an old copper mill. It has everything you would expect of an abandoned industrial complex - concrete, rust, broken glass, and graffiti. Juxtaposing all that with a mesmerizing giant solar storm in the atmosphere gives us an interesting perspective on the beauty and the hardship of the universe…and of the Keweenaw.