Aurora…..

Welcome to what I hope will become a regular feature where I'll share my adventures in photography with you…..I can’t guarantee i’m any good at writing these things but i’m gonna give it a damn good go!!

I was sat here pondering what I could possibly write about for this very first post, article, blog or whatever else you’d like to call it….i get a bit stressed about these things when i have a partial idea that isn’t fully formed but as i scrolled through a few images for inspiration the answer seemed obvious…..The Aurora Borealis of May 10th 2024.

I hope with all sincerity that you the reader of this article were able to get out on that night and witness the incredible beauty of nature, like most landscape and astro photographers i was very well aware that an alert had been issued by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that the biggest geomagnetic storm in some 20 years had been unleashed by our sun and was headed straight for us, now i’m not a scientist but i am a bit of a science nerd and i do particularly love anything to do with space so this news got my attention and i immediately realised we could be looking at a big aurora spike, we are currently approaching solar maximum where the sun is reaching the peak of it’s 11 year cycle and is very active so these kinds of high energy outputs from our nearest star are to be expected and we may see a few more of these in the coming months.

So late afternoon on May 10th while trying to decide where i might go for the evening to shoot sunset i got an alert from the AuroraWatchUK app that i use and it was the alert we photographers had all been waiting for it was a RED alert and we were looking at a big aurora spike…..now the issue here of course was that this alert was a good three hours prior to sunset which means you aren’t seeing anything because it needs to be dark, this is where you start hoping everything’s going to be in your favour and that the aurora hangs around long enough!!

I decided i would head for Bedruthan Steps, shoot sunset and then wait for it to get dark and hopefully shoot the aurora…..but one of my boys threw a spanner in the works when he had a problem with his bike and that took priority at that particular moment, having sorted that issue i decided i would instead head down to Cape Cornwall with the intention of shooting the sunset and then hanging around for the aurora once it was dark enough, well i made it to Cape Cornwall but the sunset didn’t develop due to cloud on the horizon but the majority of the sky above that was clear so conditions looked good and the aurora app was still showing a nice big spike…..

I decided at this point that i wanted to relocate, i didn’t feel Cape Cornwall was going to work for me with the aurora and so i headed across to Botallack mine with the intention of walking out to the Kendijack Cliff Castle, i felt the partially derelict building there would make a nice subject against the sky if it did indeed light with aurora colour, by the time i got there it was finally dark and i set to work finding a spot that i felt would give me the best possible composition with a nice view of the sky….

Aurora forming over the Kenidjack Cliff Castle.

I shot this first image at 22:51 and as you can see that aurora colour was filling the sky, if you look very carefully you can just about make out the very first pillars beginning to form to the right and above the building, for those who are interested i was using my 16-35mm L series f2.8 lens, my settings were f2.8, ISO1000, EXP 15s…..on reflection that exposure time might have been a bit longer than i needed but in my defence i’m not experienced at shooting the aurora so for me it was all a bit trial and error!!

With the aurora developing nicely i decided to move once again and head back towards Wheal Edward and West Wheal Owles…..now this could have been a bit of risk, it takes a few minutes to walk from here back to the engine houses and in that time the aurora could have dropped off again but i felt it was a risk worth taking for the potential reward, anyone whose ever walked with me will tell you i don’t hang around!!

As I approached West Wheal Owles i started to encounter a few people who were out and about aurora hunting and who can blame them making the most of the opportunity, i decided to set up on the side of the lane between Wheal Edward and West Wheal Owles and i pointed the camera back down the lane in the direction of Botallack Mine, the result was this image…..

The Aurora over West Wheal Owles.

My Mind was completely blown by what i was looking at on the back of the camera screen, these incredible pillars of light hanging in the sky over one of my favourite engine houses….i don’t think i have the words to describe just how i felt at that moment, with my eyes now readjusted to the dark after having walked with my headtorch on i realised as i looked at the sky that i could see the aurora, its a funny thing to look at because it actually looks like the sky is cloudy or a bit misty, the best way i can describe it is its like beams of light shining through mist, i could see these beams of light above me in the sky and then i realised it didn’t matter where i was looking they were everywhere and so intense was this geomagnetic storm that around the periphery i could see a deep purple colour something i’d never observed before with the naked eye, i decided as i could see some of the aurora over Wheal Edward to swing the camera round and try something that really shoudn’t have worked as i was now shooting in a Westerly direction with the crescent moon low to the horizon but once again as i stood looking at the camera screen and the image i’d just captured i was left amazed….

Wheal Edward under the Aurora sky.

Having quietly uttered a couple of words that i won’t repeat here as its family viewing i decided to go a bit further down the path and shoot West Wheal Owles on its own against that sky, in the ten minutes it took me to gather my gear, walk about 50 yards, set up and recompose my shot that aurora had gotten stonger again and because i could see where it was i could make sure i had those beams of light exactly where i wanted them.

West Wheal Owles, Aurora and the setting moon.

Having grabbed this image i decided it was time to head over towards Allen’s shaft which is the metal headframe and stack you could see in the distance of my first image at this location, by the time i got there the aurora was beginning to ease off just a little bit and the pillars in the sky were in my opinion just a little bit fainter and closer together…..maybe it was just the angle from which i was looking at them, have a look at the image below and make your own minds up….

Allen’s Shaft.

I did make my way down towards the Crowns Engine Houses after this but i had very little success in getting an image that did them justice and so you won’t unfortunately find one here on this occasion.

After walking back up from the Crowns i headed back to the car, packed my gear away and spent a few minutes in quiet reflection of the amazing phenomenon i had been lucky enough to not only witness but also photograph, never in all my days did i think i would see the Northern Lights from right here in Cornwall, it was quite an emotional experience if i’m honest and certainly not one i’ll forget in a hurry.

If you made it this far thank you very much, i’ll try to make future posts a bit shorter….i got a bit carried away with this one i’m afraid.