The Season's First Northern Lights!

Last week-end the weather around Reykjavík was just marvelous. There was not a single cloud in the sky and the evenings were definitely getting quite dark.

Living now quite out of Reykjavik city center and higher up than ever before I have been hopefull seing Northern Lights since about mid-August, but each night proved to be unsucessful; either the weather was too bad or I went to bed too early to see anything.

At least until now!

Last Thursday I stayed up longer than usual because Rúv (Iceland's national Tv Channel) was showing an episode of the awesome British series "Accussed" (highly reccomended!). Once it came to an end I just donned my winter jacket over my old pajamas, grabbed my camera and went out. After passing the dumping area of a local grocery store I found a neat dark place by what appeared to be a ski lift and looked up.

The sky was crystal clear, with neither the moon nor any clouds showing up. Still I saw nothing. But then, as my night vision started to develop I saw that some areas of the sky were lighter than other, like if they were covered with some pale, milky hue...This light started up North and took the shape of an arch passing right over my head. That's when I realised, even before taking my first shot, that I was seeing the first Northern Lights of the season!

These Lights were by no means powerful. Again, they were barely visible with the naked eye, but a couple long-exposure shots permitted me to grasp the intensity of the Aurora much better than with my own faulty eyes.

Those Lights might have been weak, they were nevertheless there, clearly out for everyone to see. Given the weather clears out, who knows, we might even have some more in the nights to come... No one can tell how the coming season's going to be but I know I will be out there looking at the sky regardless, and this neat little surprise definitely gave me hope.

The chase is on Gentlemen, good luck to you all!