Aurora chasing isn’t for the faint of heart.
I’ve been chasing mid-latitude auroras over Georgia and North Carolina since 2015. I saw my first ones in June of that year from Richard Russell Scenic Highway. It would be a full three years before I saw them again in August of 2018, and then the next time wouldn’t be until March of 2023. There were countless unsuccessful trips between those, particularly in 2016, 2017 and 2022. That’s why this night was so much sweeter.
I got the notification on the 8th, a few days before the storm. The sun had been hurling numerous strong solar flares at our little planet, and they were expected to arrive on the 10th. My first thought: “What’s the weather?” Good? Impossible. But it was true, clear skies were in the forecast. The plan went into motion, prepping all my camera stuff, like cleaning lenses and charging batteries. I bundled up and headed to the best place to see the aurora borealis: the Blue Ridge Parkway in western North Carolina.
A buddy joined me on this trip to keep good company. We arrived at our chosen spot to find a road-closed sign. After some quick debate, we parked and began the half-mile trek up the hill to one of the best northern horizons in the area. Little did we know we wouldn’t even need it.
My first shot of the evening perfectly encapsulated what the following two hours would be like. The sky was lit up like bright twilight all around. We arrived just as the International Space Station passed overhead, visible as the streak in the image above.
For the first time in my life, I could look UP to see aurora!
Pointing the camera straight up yielded a shot I had never even dreamed I would see here in the South, but it was nothing compared to what would come shortly after.
We continued our walk up the hill as large purple streaks leaped across the sky. You could physically watch them move, another first for me, and the greens actually became visible to the naked eye, one more first for me. For the most part, the greens appeared mostly white to our eyes, but occasional greens showed through.
Continuing up the hill yielded my favorite photo of the night. The sky was so bright it lit up the landscape around us in a soft pink glow. My camera easily picked this out as I pointed it due north along the yellow line that pointed our way to the most beautiful sight.
Upon reaching our final destination at the top of the hill, I pointed my camera straight up once more. Looking up, we could see the brighter streaks flickering like in the videos from the Arctic. It was truly an amazing, indescribable sight. I liken it to a ghostly kite or flickering candle against the beautifully bright sky.
For the next two hours, we were treated to the most incredible aurora show we would likely ever see at this latitude.
Eventually, the aurora would die off, but that just meant it was time to hit another spot.
We made our way to the Linn Cove Viaduct outside Boone, NC. I timed my shot to catch a car driving across this wonder of engineering with some purple aurora hanging overhead. Truly, this was a once-in-a-lifetime shot.
I made my way back north just a hair by 3 a.m. as the next wave of strong auroral activity kicked in. The pillars this round were truly impressive, stretching up to nearly overhead.
At around 3:45 a.m. I finally decided to call it quits since I was very, very tired.
I don’t have words to describe this experience. As a dedicated astronomy/space and photography hobbyist, I have often dreamed of what it would look like to see aurora overhead and this bright. I was very loud and excited during the entire experience, and now, as I’m writing this nearly 24 hours later, I am still absolutely excited about it. Hopefully, I will one day have the words to describe it, but for now, my photography must stand on its own.
Truly one of the greatest nights of my life.
