When it comes to capturing the Northern Lights, George C. Bailey knows a thing or two. These were captured in the wee hours of the morning, the first one showing off the Milky Way with an Aurora backdrop. George often gets asked whether they are really purple like that or if he uses a filter. Here is his response: “The human eye normally doesn’t see that color, but it is there. The camera sensor sees more in low light. Through experience I have been able to see most of the colors most of the time, but the auroras energies are ever changing even though the colors may appear static or dull. The sky in this set of pictures appeared relatively dull in person, but in reality, anytime they are visible anywhere to the eye, the energy fills the sky that I photograph.”

We get to see a moving Aurora in today’s video, photographed south of Copper Harbor.

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The Keweenaw Aurora video seems to have caught a meteor too, on a path from upper right to lower left through dead center at ≈0:09-0:11.

If you set the video's playback speed to 0.25 you can see the light streaking across the sky much better. I think instead of a meteor, it must be a jet, either commercial airliner or military, because to goes straight to the horizon, without sagging under gravity's pull.

We often have watched plane lights at night crossing Superior, wondering where the flight was from, and where it was headed :)

Indeed the modern camera's sensors are more sensitive than the human eye. All my memories of the Aurora from Houghton many years ago were in the dead of winter but just different intensities of the same dull green. Still, I'd sit outside watching until I froze.

Remembering the Fitz and her crew today, on the anniversary of her sinking. May God protect all who sail the Lakes.

Charlie at Pasty Central (Chopper):

"If you set the video's playback speed to 0.25 you can see the light streaking across the sky much better. I think instead of a meteor, it must be a jet, either commercial airliner or military, because to goes straight to the horizon, without sagging under gravity's pull.

We often have watched plane lights at night crossing Superior, wondering where the flight was from, and where it was headed :)

That never occurred to me, Charlie, but that could very well be.

I too have often watched flights over the Keweenaw at all hours of the day and night on either
(click →) Flight Aware
or
(click →) FlightRadar24.

The overwhelming majority I've seen have been between China/Korea/Japan and northeastern US cities, DTW, JFK, etc.

In fact just this afternoon I saw a Medevac flight (N238VM)

that departed CMX at 5:03PM and arrived at MQT at 5:27PM.

What fantastic pictures. I'd so love to see
that some day.