Return of the Northern Lights
(Page 3 of 3)
September/October 1989
By Fred Schaaf
When looking for the northern lights, try to get away from city lights-and hope for little or no moonlight. You won't be fooled by glows from cities to the north if you keep in mind that the aurora, even in its quieter stages, usually varies in form or position rather quickly. Though a great auroral display may occur at any hour, the middle of the night is the best time to see one. If there's a major occurrence in the early evening, you can often see more later in the night.
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And how can you capture this display on film? As with any subject requiring a long exposure, you should have a 35-mm camera, tripod and cable release. Fast film (for instance, ISO 400) will permit shorter exposures with sharper detail, since the aurora's motion will not blur the structures so much. Experiment with different exposure times (extremes of maybe five seconds to a minute) depending on the brightness and movement of the aurora and the speed of your film .
Why Now?
At last we come to the reason why the next eight months may offer auroral storms equaling those of last March.
Scientists have long known that solar activity tends to run in a cycle of about 11 years from one maximum to the next. But some maximums are stronger than others. The event that occurred in 1957 and'58 was the most powerful of the last few centuries, with auroral displays visible over the entire U.S. every month or two during that period. We are now approaching another maximum in the solar cycle-one that could rival the 1957-58 peak. The exact maximum may occur in January 1990, but great auroral displays are more likely to occur around the earth's equinoxes, when the active latitudes on the sun are pointed more directly toward us. Thus September through October 1989 and March through April 1990 could produce the best northern lights shows in many decades.
Though the earth's magnetic field is unpredictable, with a little desire and a little luck, people all over the country may get a chance to see the sky's greatest display.
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