Aurora - Northern Lights in Oklahoma October 2024

Is anyone watching closely now for the possibility of seeing Aurora (Northern Lights) here near the Oklahoma City metro this month (October 2024?)

I have a STEM teacher asking…

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Copy from “Michigan Native Photography” on FB: some guidance on photographing auroras:

Here is a basic how to guide for cameras and phones to capture the auroras.

I’ve been receiving so many comments on how to capture them on camera, and as a professional photographer, I figured I would share some tricks to help most people capture the lights (I’ve included multiple images of the Auroras I’ve captured). A tripod is recommended for everything below. These settings are subject to chance based on conditions so adjust as needed.

CAMERAS:

  • Find and select manual mode on your camera
  • Shutter speed: Around 10 seconds is best if the auroras are far away and not moving fast. If the auroras are directly overhead and moving fast, 2 - 4 seconds is best.
  • F stop: As low as it possibly goes for the lens that you are using. For example, my primary aurora lens goes down to F 2.8, and that’s what I keep it at.
  • ISO: This will depend on the quality of your camera. My ISO is normally between 800 - 1600 but you might have go higher if your images are darker. Be aware that the higher your ISO is, the “grainier” your picture will look.
  • RAW vs JPEG. I always use RAW if you are doing any real editing. JPEG is fine for those who don’t plan on doing much to the photo.
  • Turn off autofocus. Manually focus your lens to just below the crosshairs of infinity. This will give you better control to get sharp images.
  • Unless you have a remote shutter, turn on a 2 second timer to avoid any camera shake.
    That is the basic starting point for your cameras. From there, you can adjust the settings to get your images perfect.

IPHONE SETTINGS:

  • Use Night mode (iPhone 11 and later) or manual mode (third-party apps).
  • Set exposure: 3-10 seconds
  • ISO: Start between 400 - 600 and adjust as needed
  • Turn off flash
  • Focus: Manual or Infinity
  • Use a 3-second timer to avoid any camera shake
  • Turn on RAW Max if it is available on your phone to get the best quality

ANDROID SETTINGS:

  • Use Pro/Manual/Night mode
  • Set exposure: 3 - 10 seconds.
  • ISO: Start between 400 - 600 and adjust as needed
  • Turn off flash
  • Focus: Manual or Infinity
  • Use a 3-second timer to avoid any camera shake
  • Turn on RAW if it is available on your phone to get the best quality

Info originally created by Tony Bendele with extra info and modifications by Michael Primm.

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I just got home from doing some photos and timelapse of the aurora tonight. It was quite the show from dark until about 10:30pm. I went out to a place west of Watonga, not CRO.

I’ll look forward to the photos you captured. How would you describe the views from that site with naked eye?

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Thanks for sharing, Andy.

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Very nice, Andy! Amazing shots!

When it appears this far south, it often is reddish, and more colorful than they are way up north. Most that I saw in Alaska were blue-greenish, and often it was hard to distinguish them from clouds. Occasionally we’d see some that were as beautiful as what you captured, but they were rare.

And usually the prettiest were when it was extremely cold. -40 or lower. I didn’t stay out watching them for long. I doubt the temperature had anything to do with it, but that’s what it seemed like to me.

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Nice. You can call yourself an Iono Storm Chaser now.

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Awesome, Andy. I knew if anyone could catch it, you could. Thanks for sharing.

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Absolutely gorgeous!!

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Fantastic video - your work is always very artistic!
I love it!

Tim

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Wow! Great compilation @Andy_Fryhover!

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Nice!

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The engine died and I saw this strange glow through the windshield. I jumped out of the truck with my camera and caught these colored lights in the sky

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