My first aurora of the 2017/18 season occurred in the early hours of 17 August 2017. At this time of year there is very limited night-time in Iceland as it is still technically summer. While there was no true darkness on this night, it was the second day of the return of Astronomical Twilight from 00:48 – 02:16 UTC – just enough time to go aurora-watching!
Image 1 was taken looking towards the west at 00:52 UTC. A band of green aurora can clearly be seen despite Reykjavik light pollution on the left side of the image and the bright blue sky of twilight to the right. At 01:08 UTC a few rays appeared to the north, with purple tops visible on the camera (Image 2). A nice start to the season.
Image 1. 00:52 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 16 sec. Looking west.
Image 2. 01:08 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 18 sec. Looking north.
