or what they call Southcentral Alaska. It's usually pretty hard to see the aurora in the part of town where I live because we're close to Cook Inlet, so the moisture in the air, plus the ambient city lights, kind of block it out. People who live in higher elevations around here can sometimes see them, but the very best viewing is further north in the Interior. From Willow, Talkeetna, further north to Fairbanks, they often get quite brilliant displays, and I'm sure the mushers out on the Iditarod Trail are getting a veritable light show. Some of the guys I talked to last year said they were absolutely breathtaking out on the trail.
But seeing the northern lights is kind of a hit-or-miss affair and depends totally on solar activity, which is why it's really good right now. I remember reading a couple of years ago about a Japanese photographer who comes up here every year to camp out on one of Mt. McKinley's glaciers so he can photograph the northern lights, and he didn't see them once in the entire two months he was up there. Of course, the night he flew off the mountain, they came out in all their glory.
Best auroras are usually in the fall and in the spring, so the season is right. Plus today it's not windy and not too cold (around 10-15), so it shouldn't be too unpleasant to go out of town and hang out for a while waiting for them. The full moon shouldn't be a problem because it will be behind me. I was checking out a tutorial last night that showed the difference between photographing on a dark night and on a night with a full moon -- sompletely different results, but both equally beautiful.
Because the northern lights are usually most visible between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. we don't often stay up to make a trip out of town when the chances of seeing the lights are iffy, but with the high probability tonight, I think we should have some luck. I hope I can remember the tips and tricks. I REALLY want to get these shots.
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I couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. But, before that happened, I got some great shots, and I just need to work with them a bit before posting. It was incredibly bright with the full moon and a snow-covered lake, but I still got some reds and greens. Of course, things were really heating up about the time that my battery died and the cable froze. Oh, well, there's always tomorrow. I think we're still forecast another good night or two. 