I normally keep a regular eye on the aurora forecast but on this particular evening I was taken by surprise when my phone buzzed to notify me of an aurora red alert.
I grabbed the camera and headed out to the garden and could see a lot of brightness from the green glow across the sky, even bands of green towards the south east - but it was quite calm compared to previous auroras I’ve seen. So after taking a few photos and getting pretty cold I headed back indoors.
After taking my card out of the camera ready to load the photos on to the computer I thought I ought to go and spend a bit more time waiting outside - knowing the heightened activity could occur at any moment during a red alert.
It was the best decision of the evening.
Shortly after setting up the tripod near the end of the garden, I noticed an increased intensity of the green glow and then the sky was alive with the reds and greens as the aurora danced over the woods. Below are a selection of the photos I was able to capture.
It was definitely special and especially with the event coinciding with clear skies - a rare occurrence with recent auroras.