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Aurora Photography with Vincent Ledvina


Vincent Ledvina
Vincent Ledvina

On a sunny Saturday morning in Fairbanks, Alaska Space met up with Vincent Ledvina, a Space Physics PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and aurora photographer. Vincent is originally from Minnesota and went to the University of North Dakota for his BS in Physics.  Vincent has been studying space weather, specifically substorms.  Substorms are brief magnetospheric and ionospheric activity that starts with enhanced energy input from solar wind which is then injected into the high latitude ionosphere.  Visually, this causes ‘auroral beads’, or a bead-like formation to auroral tendrils at the beginning of a substorm which causes very bright, bold auroral displays.


Aurora photography takes place in the higher latitude regions of the world like Alaska, Canada, Russia, Sweden, Iceland, and other such locations.  Some photographers are strictly on a solo mission to capture photos and video, while others take people on aurora tours while they capture photos and video.  Vincent Ledvina falls into the latter category.  His website, The Aurora Guy, is a place where you can book an aurora tour, shop at his online store, and read his blog.  The Aurora Guy partners with Maia’s Aurora Tours, but does mention other local aurora tours in the area.


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Aurora photography and tours fall under the space industry as astrotourism.  Astrotourism is an Earth-bound form of tourism where people travel to locations in order to see celestial events, view the night sky, view rocket launches, and visit historical sites of astronomic importance such as Stonehenge or El Caracol.  This is different from space tourism, which is designed to take tourists primarily up to or just beyond the Karman Line, the area where Earth ends and outer space begins.  Space tourism may see further advances after the planned constructions of commercial space stations over the next ten years.  In Alaska, astrotourism tends to be focused around the aurora, the summer solstice, and winter solstice.


Most Alaskans know the basics for seeing the aurora: a dark night, clear sky, and preferably away from high light pollution.  Due to the low population within Alaska, usually the aurora can be seen while inside city spaces, but it will appear more vivid outside of city spaces.  Vincent shared that the best time frame for aurora viewing is midnight to 2am.  While most of the winter is good for aurora viewing, Vincent said that March is the best month.  Around the equinoxes is also a great time for aurora viewing.


Vincent Ledvina under the aurora
Vincent Ledvina under the aurora

Alaska Space asked if any specialized equipment was needed or preferred for aurora photography.  According to Vincent, some photographers will opt for long exposure photography, but the average person can easily just use their smart phones or a digital camera with great results.  Astrotourists looking for the aurora might want to be on the lookout for auroral beading, red auroras, and STEVE.  Red auroras are not seen as frequently as the classic green and white.  Red is caused by very high altitude energizing of oxygen, while green is caused by lower altitude energizing of oxygen.  It is theorized that blue aurora is the energizing of nitrogen, but when overlaid with the green aurora and red aurora it results in white aurora, much like the overlaying of RGB (red-green-blue in a 1:1:1 ratio) pixels on a television resulting in the formation of white.  STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) is a purple and green ribbon caused by hot gasses, rather than the energized particles of a normal aurora.


According to Vincent, one could sit outside in Alaska on a dark, clear night from 9pm to 3am and see quite a light show. Just be aware that the "good stuff" tends to occur between midnight and 2am. The most common reason why locals and tourists miss such spectacular aurora displays is the late hours for prime viewing.



Looking to contact Vincent Ledvina, the Aurora Guy?


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