Aurora Australis from Wilsons Prom (17-01-2013 14:20 UT) (Added More Images)

[colinmlegg]

Hi all,

I made a last minute dash across Victoria last Thursday to witness my first CME impact at Wilsons Prom at 1.20 am Friday morning (18-01-2013). I was hoping to observe from the SW coast, but cloud was predicted so had to move east. I'd done some nightscapes from Wilsons Prom the previous Thursday, so knew it was good for south viewing.

The CME hit with a burst. Within a minute the aurora went from nothing to naked eye. After a couple of minutes it died down. 10 minutes later it ignited again, with more red. I could see the rays to the right of the attached image naked eye, and just make out a faint orange colour.

Conditions on Norman Beach were hot with a moderate north wind. Bioluminescence lit up the waves. There were lots of people wandering around earlier, but by 1.20 they were gone. A couple of drunks did wander by though around 3 asking if they could stand in front of my timelapsing cam :shrug:

Thanks for looking :)

Colin

ps. Added 3 additional images. The 4th was taken 3 minutes after CME impact when the KP index was around 5.

[Lester]

Fantastic view Colin. Beautiful colour.

[apaulo]

Hi Colin

What a beautiful image you have there.. I have been chasing and imaging aurorae over a year now and the results never cease to amaze me.
Wilson Prom beholds fantastic dark skies with excellent backgrounds, something I believe you have captured quite well.

The k-index was estimated to peak 5 at 2am but as time progressed the flare headed towards the northern hemisphere instead. We decided to stay in bed but maybe we should of had a crack at it?

Not often I am moved to reply to an image, same old stuff etc etc, but your image is a cracka..

Paul.

[colinmlegg]

Thanks Lester. Any luck last night? I'm in your general neck of the woods tonight... hoping to shoot Island Lagoon near Woomera. Then across the Nullarbor and home.



Thanks Paul. It's been a long chase for me. I've been hanging around the south coast for a couple of months now and thought my time was up and was about to head back to Perth. Then I saw the CME impact forecast and decided to stay for one last effort. Glad I did. Makes me wish I was still living in Vic. Good luck for the next one :)

[h0ughy]

make the effort get the reward - fantastic result

[RB]

Wow what a gorgeous scene.

:thumbsup:

[CapturingTheNight]

You already know how much I adore this one Colin but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say it again- Absolutely gorgeous! Persistence certainly pays off. I hope I don't have to wait around for two months to get the aurora shot I want, when I travel back to Tas.

[iceman]

Stunning as usual. Brilliant.

[Octane]

Completely and utterly beautiful.

You are a lucky soul to not only witness, but also capture this treasure!

H

[RickS]

Very nice, Colin! It's interesting to see the difference that a bit of distance makes. I think the preponderance of red we see in southern aurora pics is because we're further away and see more of the high altitude red and less of the lower altitude green. My images from Norway are mostly green with hints of red and purple.

Cheers,
Rick.

[Larryp]

Lovely photo, Colin. Colour is superb!

[alexch]

Nice red Aurora and reflection with bioluminescence to boot! Simply stunning!

[gregbradley]

Stunning capture.

Greg.

[Derek Klepp]

Thanks Colin I'd just be happy to see the Aurora. The framing with the milky way and M clouds really makes for a great pic added to that the reflections in the water this really is a great astronomical pic. I think you should send it to all the Northern Hemisphere magazines so those up north can see what the,re missing out on.
Cheers Derek

[Scorpius51]

What an absolute cracker of a shot! Well done, Colin.

[Paul Haese]

Lovely image Colin. Great colour and well framed.

[Liz]

Stunning Colin!!

[strongmanmike]

What a lovely image Colin, it's similar to a few taken in recent times but this one somehow looks to have ticked all the boxes to my eye...nice to not see the obligatory Photoshop meteor in it too :whistle: :lol:... people do it ;)

Mike

[colinmlegg]

Thanks Mike. No meteor needed on this one.. ;)



Thanks Liz.





Thanks Paul.



Thanks for the suggestion, Derek. I'll give it a shot when I return to Perth.



Thanks Greg.



Thanks Alex. Your work is always an inspiration. mate. Keep at it.



Thanks Larry.



Thanks Rick. Yes, and we don't get to see many images from the south. Some of the best images I've seen are from mid latitudes.



Thanks mate. Would have been great to share it with like minded people. The beach was deserted... a crying shame.



Thanks Mike.



I'm sure you'll nail another one, Greg. Good luck in Tas.



Thanks RB.



Thanks houghy. Glad I made the effort.

[Ross G]

A beautiful capture Colin.

Ross.

[colinmlegg]

Thanks Ross.

I've processed a few more images from that night, so thought I'd update this post rather than start a new one. The 2nd and 3rd images shows strong bioluminescence in the breaking wave line and nice star reflections in the sand ripples. The 4th is 3 minutes after CME impact. The KP index was around 5 at this time.

New images at start of thread.

[carl37]

Absolutely gorgeous photo Colin.

I'm still to witness my first aurora - from somewhere not too far from Melbourne. Not sure if I'll be able to drive that far away from home!! :)

Do you mind if I share your fourth photo with the "Aurora Australis Tasmania" Facebook group (credited of course). They would love to see a different vantage point.

Carl

[colinmlegg]

Thanks for offering, Carl. Yes, no probs. I should join that group one day...I know of it. You could also add a link to my facebook page ... they maybe interested in the other shots.

https://www.facebook.com/ColinLeggPhotography

ps. don't be put off by the drive. It's worth driving across Victoria for. I did a 6 hour drive from SW to SE coast to escape the cloud.

[carl37]

Thanks Colin. I will add a link to your FB Page as well (I've "Liked" it myself!)

I could handle all that driving for an aurora chase, but unfortunately my young family wouldn't appreciate me doing that so much. :(

I'll be aiming to get to Flinders for the next big geomagnetic storm.

[colinmlegg]

Thanks Carl. Yeah, family comes first of course ....... unless they're forecasting a direct hit CME! ;)

[ourkind]

Stunning images Colin wow wow wow!!!

[danielsun]

Great capture, colors and very sharp. :thumbsup:

[tilbrook@rbe.ne]

Fabulous Colin!

So jealous, what ISO were you using?

Cheers,

Justin.

[polardan]

And what equipment and settings?

[acj]

Hi Colin,

Its so good you stayed on past most people leaving. These images are spectacular. The composition, exposure... simply breathtaking!

I hope to one day (hopefully in the near future) be able to witness one from Melbourne.

Kind Regards,
Aaron

[colinmlegg]

Thanks for the kind words guys! My settings were typical dark sky - iso 3200, f/2.8, 30s, 14mm and f/2.5, 20s, 24mm. Fortunately the aurora was faint enough not to blow out the shot. Equipment - 5dmkII x 2, Nikon 14-24, Canon 24 f/1.4 II.

Aaron, I'll try to answer your question on the Beginners thread. You may get your chance tonight!?