Tips for trip organization

UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
CEDIC 2015 – by Lorenzo Comolli
Outline
• Intro: phenomena, best location, best time (for Aurora and Moon)
• My trips to Norway: night and day
• Instruments and techniques: camera, lens, tripod, timer, jpg or raw,
ext battery, dew remover, ISO, memory, composition
• Tips for aurora forecasting and observation: magnetometer,
forecasts
• Image processing: simple processing, Lightroom, advanced color
improvements in Photoshop
• Tips for trip organization: location, time, weather, hotels and
apartments, car renting, miscellanea...
• Conclusions
• Discussion: Q&A, tips for imaging, processing, trip
My first aurora: 2001, Northern Italy
21 Oct 2001, h ~23, Kodak 100 ISO, 50 mm f/1.8 and 28 mm f/2.8,
Comolli+Cenedese, Vergiate (VA, Italy)
21 October 2001
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/index.html
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/30-minute-aurora-forecast
Where Aurorae came from?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT3J6a9p_o8
Video by Oslo University
CME – Coronal Mass Ejection
STEREO spacecraft
Prediction of the CME trajectory
NASA/ENUL
Height and colors of Aurora
Credit:
http://www.natuurkunde.cjb.net/uitleg.php
NASA+Bob King
Why from Italy it was red?
10°
Milan
Italy
Denmark
10°
Denmark: 56° N
Difference: 10°
Tradate, Italy: ~46° N
Earth
Out of scale drawing
Probability to see Aurorae
Magnetic north pole
Geographic north pole
Lapland:
350 aurorae/year
very few aurorae
auroral oval
350
300
2
Aurora Australis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7XuWYRgdw
“Image” spacecraft, NASA
Aurora from the Space Station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG0fTKAqZ5g
ISS time lapse, edited by David Peterson
The 5 requirements to see an aurora
Night
Latitude
No light pollution
Auroral/solar activity
Clear sky
Best time to see? Solar cycle and seasons
Sunspots
Geomagnetic storms
Joe Allen/SCOSTEP
Martin Mlynczak of NASA Langley Research Center
My two expeditions
2013
Alta
2012
Tromso and Lofoten Islands
Tromso
We are here
I live here
Lofoten
Islands
Alta
Our selection: why Norway?
Tromso
Lofoten
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Some of the selected observing locations
Grotfjorden
Tromso
Ersfjorden
Trondfjorden
Photo-visual simulation
Canon 350D, exp 8 s, Tokina 11-16 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Ersfjorden, Kvaloya Island
Photo-visual simulation
Canon 5D, 8 s exp, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden West, Kvaloya Island
How and where it appears?
Sud
North
From 21.19 to 3.36: total of 6 hours; speed 400x
Canon 5D, exp 15 s, Peleng 8 mm f/3.5, 1600 ISO
Elgnes, Harstad
Canon 5D, exp 15 s,
Peleng 8 mm f/3.5, 1600 ISO
Elgnes, Harstad
Canon 5D, exp 15 s,
Peleng 8 mm f/3.5, 1600 ISO
Elgnes, Harstad
Canon 350D, posa 8 s, Tokina 11-16 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Elgnes, Harstad
Canon 40D, exp 6 s,
Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Elgnes, Harstad
Author: Alessandro Boletti
Instruments and techniques
Camera
Lens
Short focal length
•APS: 10-20 mm
•FF: 14-24 mm
Best choice is a recent DSLR
Timer remote
JPG
vs
RAW
Tripod
Fast aperture:
f/1.4-2.8
ISO selection
Robust but lightweight
and fast to open.
Memory
External battery?
Dew remover?
My setup
•DSLR
•Canon 60D (APS-C)
•Canon 5D (full-frame)
•Main lenses
•Samyang 14mm f/2.8
•Samyang 10mm f/2.8
•Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
•Peleng 8 mm f/3.5 (fisheye all sky)
•Sigma 20 mm f/1.8
•Tripod
•Triopo carbon fiber tripod
•Goldphoto aluminium tripod
•Manfrotto ball heads
•dolly and panning systems
•Remote timers (internal via Magic Lantern in 60D and
external)
•Many internal batteries (tested in the refrigerator!)
•RAW mode (always!)
•ISO 1600 to 3200
•32 GB memory cards
•exposures: from 5 to 10 s
Photo by Ale Boletti
Composition
Composition is fundamental for a good
landscape astrophoto.
Don't be hurry to image the aurora, but
invest time on the selection of best
locations and framing.
Use natural or artificial landscape:
• trees
• mountains
• sea
• houses
• ...
Tips: aurora forecasting and observation
Actual activity:
• very useful: main tool is the
MAGNETOMETER activity graphs
http://flux.phys.uit.no/Last24/
Future activity:
• usually useless: normal activity is
very difficult to forecast. I've found
the online forecast to be nearly
useless.
• big CME: when big CMEs toward
Earth, in 1-2 days the activity will
increase dramatically
How to read: high values indicate
stronger aurorae that is changing the
direction of the magnetic north also
by some degrees and the field
intensity.
• expect large activity also non
forecasted
Image processing
• Quite easy respect to long exposure astrophotos
• Can be done in batch using e.g. LIGHTROOM
• Main commands:
•Color Balance: solar/daylight
•Lights/Shadows: -50 / +50
•Clarity: +30 to +50
•Vibrance: +30 to +50
•Curves: if needed a little "S"
•HSL/Saturation: increase a little bit the greens
•Details: Noise Reduction to +30 to +50
•Lens correction: none or "activate profile" to remove distortion and
color fringing
EXAMPLE
Advanced image processing
• Some additional processing can be done for
selected images in PHOTOSHOP
• Main improvements:
• colors of aurora (increase of greens)
• details of selected objects (trees...)
EXAMPLE
Video
http://www.astrosurf.com/comolli/131009.htm
Tips for trip organization
• People to share the trip
Photo by Ale Boletti
Tips for trip organization
• Location
Tips for trip organization
• Month
Tips for trip organization
• Number of days
• Consider the probability for large number of
cloudy days. Stay at least 6-7 days, 10 is better
•Phase of Moon
• Why choosing with or without Moon? Best is
both with and without! -> First quarter Moon
An example of a compromise: our first trip in Feb-Mar 2012
February 2012
Moon: days centered on first quarter
•first days: aurora in a dark sky
•latest days with bright landscape
Equinox: nearby to have higher activity
End of winter: better weather statistics in Norway
Moon: first quarter
March 2012
24 Feb – 5 Mar (10 nights)
Software Perseus
Feb+Mar 2012
Moon or not Moon, that is the question
Without Moon
With Moon
PRO:
• very faint aurorae visible
PRO:
• bright landscape (especially with snow)
• short exposures
CONTRA:
• very dark landscape (need to add lights)
• need for long exposures > trailed aurorae
CONTRA:
• faintest aurorae are not visible
Tips for trip organization
• Flight
Tips for trip organization
• Baggage
• If possible choose an operator with additional checked
baggage: 20 kg are very few!
Tips for trip organization
• Car renting
Tips for trip organization
• Hotel, apartment, hostel
Tips for trip organization
• Eating
• make or buy?
•make: cheaper and flexible timing
•buy: faster and easier, obliged if
hotel
Photo by Ale Gambaro
Tips for trip organization
• Dresses
Photo by Ale Gambaro
lined hood, hat or balaclava
head lamp (red)
windbreaker (thick goose down)
(below): heavy fleece sweater,
shirt roundneck
thin gloves (for working with
camera) and additional gloves with
mitten
ski pants waterproof
(below): fleece pants or stuffed
jeans
waterproof boots or moonboot
(below): wool socks
Tips for trip organization
•Activities for daytime and cloudy nights
• Hurtigruten
• Museums
• Landscapes
• Dog sledging, trekking, snowshoeing,
skiing, ...
Photo by Ale Gambaro
Tips for trip organization
•Informations:
• Tourist office
•e.g. http://www.visitnorway.com/
• Detailed maps for imaging location selection
•buy at local stores 1:10.000
• Meteo websites
•e.g. https://www.meteoblue.com/
• Magnetogram graphs
•http://flux.phys.uit.no/Last24/
Results of 1° expedition
•
10 nights
–
–
–
–
•
•
2 nearly perfect
1 veils
2 with short holes in the clouds
5 completely covered
Tromso
1750 km travelled
cost of about 1,5 k€ (all inclusive)
Harstad
Photos:
•
Lorenzo: 105 GB for 16484 shots
•
Ale G: 99 GB for 14709 shots
•
Ale B: 239 GB for 16039 shots
Isole Lofoten
Instruments:
•
7 DSLR, all Canon, 5D, 2x 350D, 2x 40D, 550D,
1100D.
•
Lenses: 8 mm f/3.5, 2x 11-16 mm f/2.8, 15 mm f/2.8,
2x 20 mm f/1.8, 10-22 mm f/3.5, 24-70 mm f/2.8, 50
mm f/1.8, 300 mm f/2.8, ....
•
10 tripods
•
1 dolly
•
3 lead acid batteries of 45 Ah (rented locally)
A.G.
Gallery
Canon 350D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Sigma 20 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 350D, posa 5 s, Sigma 20 mm f/2.2, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Canon 20 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 350D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 1100D, posa 5 s, Sigma 20 mm f/2.0, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Autore: Alessandro Gambaro
Canon 1100D, posa 5 s, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 3200 ISO
Grotfjorden Est, Isola Kvaloya
Autore: Alessandro Gambaro
Canon 5D, posa 5 s, Sigma 20 mm f/2.5, 1600 ISO
Trondfjord, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Sakrisoya, Isole Lofoten
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Sakrisoya, Isole Lofoten
Canon 350D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Sakrisoya, Isole Lofoten
Canon 350D, posa 8 s, Canon 15 mm f/2.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Ovest, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 5 s, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Ovest, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 5D, posa 8 s, Sigma 20 mm f/1.8, 1600 ISO
Grotfjorden Ovest, Isola Kvaloya
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8,
posa 1 s, 6400 ISO
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8, posa 9 s, 6400 ISO
Canon 350D, Sigma 20 mm f/2.2, posa 8 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 5D, Samyang 14 mm f/2.8, posa 8 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 5D, Samyang 14 mm f/2.8, posa 8 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 350D, Sigma 20 mm f/2.2, posa 8 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8, posa 8 s, 3200 ISO
Canon 5D, Sigma 20 mm f/2.2, posa 5 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 350D, Sigma 20 mm f/2.2, posa 5 s, 1600 ISO
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8, posa 8 s, 3200 ISO
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8, posa 8 s, 3200 ISO
Canon 60D, Tokina 11 mm f/2.8, pose HDR da 1/15 a 4 s, 3200 ISO