I joined a astronomy club just so I could have free easy access to Bortle 2 skies (Darker skies). The Minnesota Astronomical Society has a contract with a Conservation Center far north of the twin cities.
I joined in January but sadly each time there was a MAS weekend at LLCC, I was sick, I had other plans, or it was cloudy.
Finally, the perfect week arrived.
May 10-13
The aurora predictions were looking good (but I was still worried that it wouldn’t happen as it seems to do 90% of the time, but at the same time, I could do Milky Way pics if the aurora didn’t stick around.)
I packed up my car, brought sleep stuff (cuz we get rooms too, as part of this deal) and headed out under cloudy / rainy skies. We had already been told that there had been a lot of rain at the Long Lake Conservation Center and that we could not park on the viewing field (think astronomers with huge telescopes).
Along the way, the clouds started to clear and the sun came out… but behind me was still dark. On impulse, I quickly found a pull over spot and found the rainbow! The location was dreamy but that wasn’t my goal.
Clear skies were coming, evening was coming, and the aurora forecast and numbers were still good.
Arrived at LLCC and met everyone who was already there and told them I was heading down to the lake with my friend Christy, who had already arrived. (Whom I met through Kristine’s free Milky Way Master course!)
Got down to the lake before dark and tried to explore. The beach was not pointing north, but I knew that when I used PlanitPro (thanks Kristine!!). The spots I had found on opposite sides of the lake were drenched and soaked (I love my Sketcher hiking boots that I treated with mink oil, no leaks). There was no way I could safely get my camera equipment to either of these locations.
On May 10, 2024, Earth was struck by an intense G5-class geomagnetic storm, the strongest recorded since the Halloween storms of 2003. The storm, fueled by multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs), produced spectacular auroras visible at latitudes far lower than usual, mesmerizing observers across the globe.
In recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to space weather research, the storm was named the Gannon Storm in honor of Jennifer Gannon, a distinguished physicist dedicated to studying Earth’s magnetic field and the effects of solar activity on technology.
Dr. Gannon passed away on May 2, 2024, at the age of 45. Her work played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of geomagnetic storms, helping scientists better predict and mitigate their impact on power grids, satellites, and communication networks. The naming of the storm serves as a lasting tribute to her legacy in the field of space weather science.
I figured I would set up on the beach and hope for something not too hidden behind the trees. The other locations will wait for a drier day sometime in the future.
Night came and so did Lady Aurora, and as we all know, she danced and danced and danced. Even though my beach was not pointed north, she was everywhere, and this wonderful image composite was brought to fruition. The sky is only lightly enhanced and the reflection was my third ever attempt at doing reflections (again, thank you Kristine!)
I stayed up with lady Aurora and the rest of the club members until the songbirds started to sing.
What a magical night!