At 20:50 UTC a weak auroral arc was visible to the north, appearing pale to the eye and a light green colour on camera. We drove to our location for the evening and Image 1 below was taken on arrival at the site, showing a green band to around 30 degrees with purple ray tops visible on the camera. There was also some diffuse green picked up by the camera much higher in the sky that was not obvious to the naked eye. From 21:19 the band of aurora persisted in the north (Image 2), but a second distinct narrow band formed directly overhead and became brighter at its eastern end with some purples visible on camera (Image 3).
From 21:25 UTC the overhead band began to shift slowly northwards, while the band in the north persisted. Both bands by this time had taken on a rayed form and purple tops were visible (Image 4). There were some brief spells of more moderate intensity activity at the eastern end of the bands, where the aurora flickered and took on a more vibrant yellow-green appearance (Image 5). However, for most of the evening it had a rather subtle appearance to the eye. From 21:30 to 21:39 the highest band of aurora continued to move northwards and lower in the sky, while the northernmost band slowly disappeared (Image 6).
From 21:39 until I went home at 22:15 it appeared that the aurora was mostly weak and quite low in the sky to the north, but the fast approach of heavy snow clouds from the north-west restricted my view of what was happening. Images 7 to 9 show this cloud bank approaching and concealing much of the aurora, but with bright green patches still visible through the gaps.
Image 1. 21:14 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 18 sec. Looking north-west.
Image 2. 21:19 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 18 sec. Looking north-west.
Image 3. 21:20 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 16 sec. Looking east.
Image 4. 21:25 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 18 sec. Looking north-east.
Image 5. 21:27 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 15 sec. Looking east.
Image 6. 21:35 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 17 sec. Looking north-east.
Image 7. 21:43 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 24 sec. Looking north-east.
Image 8. 21:53 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 21 sec. Looking north-east.
Image 9. 22:09 UTC. Taken at: ISO = 1600, f/2.8 @ 14 mm, exposure = 16 sec. Looking north.
