Aurora and Milky Way in Kakanui, New Zealand

[kiwiapple]

Last night I planned to get to bed early, since I had been out at 3:30am to shoot the Milky Way and had been prevailed upon to do the same this morning for another friend. So I was all set to go to sleep at 9pm when my iPhone started to rattle uncontrollably with notifications of a strong aurora in the area. Well, you don't just throw away a chance to photograph an aurora on a clear night with a new moon, so off I went. I had done no planning whatsoever, so was just going to wing it, but while I was out there I realised that I had the potential for a Milky Way arch with the aurora underneath. Unfortunately, I really was a bit pressed for time, so I did not shoot enough zenith-oriented frames, but what I came up with is not too terrible.

UPDATE:
Now that I've had a bit of sleep, I've revisited the stitching of this image, and come up with a version I think is a bit better.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Neat combination of Milky Way and northern lights.

 

[Kyle Jones]

Impressive and worth the effort! I bet you have some nice crop options emphasizing the aurora too.

 

[kiwiapple]

Impressive and worth the effort! I bet you have some nice crop options emphasizing the aurora too.

Absolutely; in addition to these shots I also took a slew with my (just delivered yesterday) Astro-mod 600D aiming at the core of the action, as well as a bunch with my Canon R5. There’ll surely be more to come later on, once I’ve had a nap!

 

[JimFox]

Wow James! Count me double jealous! That's so amazing! I want a Milky Way with an Aurora too. I will be starting to head to my daughters next week, and she is at a higher latitude, so that will put me in striking distance of an aurora if it gets strong enough again.

I love how this one is dancing. I think thats some of my favorite shapes.

 

[AlanLichty]

Pretty incredible result for no planning - I am impressed. Can't wait to see what you got with your astro rig.