Cause and Effect

People were always asking me... "What causes auroras?". So I had the

idea of creating one image that would depict both an aurora and it's

source in the same photograph.

 

The large red object in the upper right is the sun, and you will see

a sunspot grouping in the lower left (sunspots are where large solar

explosions occur). I photographed the sun through a telescope with

the equivelent of 1000mm focal length using a special ND-5 solar

filter. As it happened, there was a large solar explosion from that

sunspot grouping that day. So I went out two nights later, when the

plasma from that explosion hit the Earth, and took a second exposure,

on the same frame of film, with a wide angle lens to expose the

resulting aurora... I named this double exposure, "Cause and Effect"

 

Thanks for looking, and I hope you enjoy.

 

Mike K.

A great image, and thanks for the lesson that was 7/7 just on its own :)

 

Kind regards

 

Rob

Great image and explination. This should be put on the wall of every science class with that explination! -Anthony

When I grow up, I want to be you. What a fabulous image, and great way to descibe the Aurora. Becky

Great explanation and image. How long do you have to expose for such images?

Thank you Frank for the feedback.

 

This image is different from my other aurora photos since it's a double exposure. But for most of my aurora images, my exposures range from about 10 to 25 seconds with maybe a 15 second average. I try to expose as long as possible and still keep the stars looking like points, rather than trails. The exact exposure will vary depending on the focal length of the lens I'm using, and the part of the sky I'm pointed at. In general, a simple and accurate formula is to divide your focal length, (in 35mm terms), into 600. This will yield the exposure in seconds that you can expose for before stars will begin to noticibly trail. So for a normal 50mm lens, this would yield about 12 seconds... a 28mm lens would equal about 22 seconds. Once again this is for 35mm focal lengths, and if using medium format, (as I also do) you would need to make the necessary conversions.

 

Mike K.

 

Fun! And well done!...for some other perspectives check out IMAGE, a satellite that imaged auroras from space and also SOHO which images the sun and it's coronasphere. Look out for some really great photos from the new Japanese satellite Hinode and the pair of NASA satellites -- STEREO. This is Mary Fran's sister, Therese

Thanks Therese for the comments and information!

 

I have seen the IMAGE aurora photos, and they are stunning. And I regularly check out the SOHO images on a daily basis to get an idea of what might be coming in the way of aurorae as a result of solar activity. But I didn't know about the new Hinode project, so I'm very much looking forward to finding out more. Thanks again for the head's-up.

 

Mike K.

Mike, thanks for visiting my PN gallery. I will email if that is ok. I appreciate your comments very much. This image, by the way, is surely one of your finest. As a scientist, I appreciate it more than just its artistic qualities demand. Thanks.

besides that absolutely being the largest shot of a moon- This is an amazing landscape and this is So unbelievable- Like another planet! Amazing!

Well this one deserves an A+ for effort, creativity, and education. I am really impressed--particularly that you made this a double exposure in camera. Kudos again.

 

Bill

After seeing this picture (and the others in your portfolio), my earthbound pictures seem so banal and boring! Thanks for a wonderful portfolio, and more importantly, sharing your technique.

S Prem,

 

Thanks so much for the feedback and kind words. But I have been to your portfolio, and your images are not in any way "boring". You have some stunners. I especially love your architecture photos and your sense of composition.

 

Mike

 

Thank you for shering!

Best regards and enjoy beauty of nature.

Mike, this is really well done! I love the idea and the way you executed it. Thanks very much for sharing details on your technique, too - it's always great to learn new things and I certainly learned something for you.

Thank you Stanislaw,

 

I learn and/or become inspired each time I visit your portfolio of images. So I'm glad we can feed off of each other this way.

 

Thank you for the visit,

Mike

 

I love all you night time images, but this one is especially striking.  Wow!