When nature meets technology: Phone cameras bring the northern lights to life, during solar storm
Dazzling images of the Northern Lights – visible as far away as Arizona – have been made possible, in part, by the dark mode photography features of our cell phones.
The Northern Lights, a phenomenon usually relegated to the northernmost regions of the globe, light up the sky thanks to a massive G5 category solar storm, which is expected to continue until Sunday.
As skywatchers report naked-eye visibility across large areas of the United States, those who struggle to see the natural glow might have a powerful tool in their pocket. Michael Bettwy, chief of operations at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, said people can take a photo of the phenomenon for a clearer view.
“You may not be able to see it with the naked eye, but if you have a clear night with few clouds and you hold your phone up to the sky, you can actually get a picture or two,” Bettwy said in a statement. Friday briefing.
I don’t know what’s more impressive…the Northern Lights or the fact that I took this photo with an iPhone!?
📍Delaware PA/NJ Water Gap#northernlights #pawx #njwx #dawn pic.twitter.com/IVl1TWxDGK
– Simon Wachholz (@SimonWachholz) May 11, 2024
According to Brent Gordon, head of SWPC’s Space Weather Services Branch, the technology in our phone cameras – the long exposure feature known as dark mode or night mode on many devices – will allow amateur photographers to see the aurora.
“The things the human eye can’t see, your phone can,” Gordon said during the briefing. “It will be interesting to see how far south we get images of aurora.”
Cross this off my bucket list! The Northern Lights or Northern Lights. Research how to put your iPhone in dark mode for best results. pic.twitter.com/XuE7ObFxVf
– Jeff Oechslein (@JeffWTOV9) May 11, 2024
The colorful effects caused by disruptions in Earth’s magnetic field caused by solar particles were exacerbated by the storm, which caused an influx of “coronal mass ejections” and widened visibility as far as Tucson, Arizona.
A little change tonight before going to bed. I am speechless. I finally captured a photo I’ve wanted for 8 years after seeing the Northern Lights for the very first time in Iceland. And tonight I finally got to see them all the way to Tucson, Arizona…FOR 8 HOURS… pic.twitter.com/veAccCdYZE
-Sean Parker (@seanparkerphoto) May 11, 2024
If you have a dark mode photography feature on your phone, you can take an aurora photo Saturday and Sunday evening, before the solar storm ends. According to Hello Aurora, an aurora tracking service, using a tripod and activating a feature such as night mode or a longer manual exposure time, creates optimal conditions for photos, while choosing a dark and free environment. light pollution.
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