THE FAILED AURORA (or MILKY WAY AT SHELL CREEK)

On Friday, May 10 there was a solar storm which made the Aurora visible much further south than usual. The prediction for San Luis County was not overly encouraging. I got up around midnight, looked outside and took a cell phone photo, to see if the sky justified an actual trek to a darker sky area. There is nothing. The next morning I saw some local photos with some sky color and felt guilty for not dragging myself out. The prediction for Saturday looked about the same so I decided that I had to give it a try. I arrived at Shell Creek Road a bit after 10pm. In several night treks to that spot I have rarely seen another person. That night there were people everywhere. Headlights, dome lights, flashlights waving, people sitting around lanterns, light wands and even strobe lights. It was night sky hell! I “patiently” set up my camera and attempted some photos. Even in the brief periods of less light there was nothing visible in the sky. To salvage the trip I decided to wait it out for a Milky Way shot. I patiently (there’s that word again) sat in my car waiting for the crowds to leave and the galactic center to rise. Eventually I was rewarded with some solitude and a dark sky. For those interested: Location: Junction Shell Creek Road and Hwy 58 Taken: May 12, 2024, 12:37 am Camera: Canon EOS R5 Lens: Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Filter: None Shutter: 8 seconds Aperture: f/1.8 ISO: 3200 Single source light painting from camera right This is a single image Processed with Lightroom, Photoshop and Topaz Photo AI for noise reduction https://fineartamerica.com/featured/milky-way-at-shell-creek-ron-mead.html?newartwork=true