Cathedral of Light [Explored]

On the night of May 10-11, 2024, I spent the final evening of my astrophotography tour at Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada. My goal was to capture the Milky Way arching over the park's iconic spires - but nature had different plans.

 

During blue hour, I noticed a peculiar reddish glow on the horizon. As the night deepened, it became clear that a recent solar storm was producing a rare and intense aurora, visible as far south as Cathedral Gorge, at 37°N latitude.

 

At first, the waxing Moon muted the sky’s colors, but once the Moon set around 11 p.m., the aurora revealed its full glory. Light pillars danced across the heavens in mesmerizing hues of red, blue, pink, and green. I had positioned my camera to shoot a time-lapse with one of the park's iconic spires, and this image is a single frame from that sequence - a moment that perfectly conveys the magic of this night.

 

EXIF

Camera: Canon EOS Ra

Lens: Sigma 28mm f/1.4 ART @ f/2.8

Exposure: 4 seconds @ ISO 6400

Done