Fluidr / Katy on the Tundra's "Spring 2016" set

A Touch of Snow..

N 42 B 1.2K C 10 E Dec 30, 2015 F Mar 25, 2017

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Magenta and Purple

N 317 B 7.2K C 32 E Mar 26, 2017 F Mar 27, 2017

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I haven't seen this much bright magenta, pink and purple in aurora in a long time.

This is fairly early in the evening, before the true dark of night, around 10 pm. Maybe the non-typical colors are due to the solar wind from a rift in the sun's atmosphere emitting solar wind, rather than radiation activity from sunspots (CMEs, coronal mass ejections). Whatever else it was, it was a bit unusual.

15 seconds exposure, f2.8, ISO 1600, Tokina 11-16mm lens.

Eastern Interior of Alaska.

Robertson River

N 10 B 737 C 4 E Apr 1, 2016 F Mar 30, 2017

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Glacial Robertson River is showing signs of spring breakup, meltwaters below upwelling onto the surface of the winter ice accumulation.

Robertson River headwaters is the Robertson Glacier, around the bend in the Alaska Range on the horizon.

Tags: glacier river mountains Alaska ice spring

Iridium Satellite Flare

N 9 B 1.2K C 5 E Mar 30, 2017 F Mar 30, 2017

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An iridium communications satellite catches and reflects distant rays of the Sun, as it moves through space in it's orbit around Earth.

Iridium satellites have three large door-sized flat panel antennas that are highly reflective, polished aluminum treated with silver coated teflon.

Tags: northern lights aurora borealis iridium satellite flarewell

A Year Ago

N 11 B 596 C 5 E Mar 31, 2016 F Apr 4, 2017

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One year ago (March 31, 2016), the winter snow was just about gone and the ponds were filling with meltwater, a very early spring melt. This year (probably average), this pond is totally covered in white, with no signs at all of meltwater. Yet.