Aurora Borealis in my Backyard!

I mean, it was there, but super hard to see. After a large solar storm, Earth got hit with an unusual number of charged particles that lit up the night sky. When it had reached its peak overhead, I could barely see it and decided to go outside of town to find a less polluted place to witness. After going North for a few miles, I could easily see it, so I pulled off into a field just outside of DeForest and got out my phone. What you don’t expect about the aurora when seeing it in person is how unimpressive it is. It’s definitely cool. I was glad I got to see it. But the vibrant photos on the internet are not what one sees in real life. In fact, the photos I took with my camera right there turned out way better than what I could see. The timelapse of the camera was way better at picking up the light than my stupid eyes, so it had a better experience than I did. Here’s an example of what I saw:

And here’s what the camera saw:

This sounds a bit complainy, and I suppose it is. For something I’ve been so excited to see in person, and more importantly to help Danielle cross off her bucket list, I was a bit disappointed. It’s like walking through an art museum with sunglasses on. You can take pictures that turn out awesome, but your experience in the moment is muted and less exciting. Looking back on the photos, I’m satisfied. I captured brilliant colors, and my eyes witnessed the photons (not the exact ones, but close) that the camera captured, so I can claim success. Of course, here are the photos: