Naked eye - what some will see
Naked eye - what some will see
Digital camera
VIEWING THE AURORA AND THE COLOURS YOU WILL SEE
VIEWING AURORAS - HOT TIPS
The single most important thing that you can do to maximised your visual experience of the aurora is to allow your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. This ensures that the pupils are maximally dilated and that the rods and cones are operating at peak sensitivity. It takes up to 20 minutes for the human eye to fully dark adapt. Even a glimpse of bright light for just a few seconds will set your dark adaptation back several minutes. This is why we completely darken the cabin of the aircraft while in the auroral zone. If you want to take lots of photos, be aware that this will invariably involve frequently looking at a relatively bright LCD view screen, and this will prevent your eyes from fully dark adapting. In over 20 years of auroral observing, I have concluded that it is not possible to capture the perfect photo and have the perfect visual experience at the same time. I therefore encourage passengers to give some thought about what they want to get out of the experience, and plan accordingly. If you do decide to take photos, it’s essential that you get to know your camera properly (practice using it in the dark before the flight), and if possible turn off the LCD screen (or at least turn the brightness down to minimum) beforehand. In the end we can’t absolutely guarantee what you will see, but with appropriate understanding and preparation, you can be sure to maximise your viewing pleasure.
The cones on the other hand can perceive full colour and are highly concentrated in the central retina producing high resolution central colour perception, but they are less sensitive than rods so require a brighter light source to be activated. So dim auroral displays which are only capable of triggering the rods will only be perceived in black and white - the aurora appears as a whitish or grey cloud of constantly changing light. Brighter displays have a greater chance of triggering the cones and resulting in some colour perception. Even still, in all but the very extreme displays, colour will appear muted in comparison to the photos. There is also significant variation between individuals. As we get older, the pupil of the human eye becomes less able to fully dilate in darkness, and a smaller pupil lets in less light. Also as we age, the lens in the eye can take on a yellow tinge or become slightly opaque, also altering or interfering with colour perception. On the whole, older eyes are less sensitive to light perception in dim conditions. The result is that during the same display some people will report seeing obvious colour while others will report seeing only grey. Even two people of similar age may report differences in colour perception during the same display.
I’m sure most of us have seen those beautiful colourful aurora images, and some of you may have wondered if the colours in these pictures are in fact real, or are they just the product of over zealous photoshopping. Well the answer is “yes”, the colours are indeed very real, however it’s important to realise that modern cameras are significantly more sensitive to colour than the human eye. The human perception is therefore always something a little less intense. To understand how the eye perceives the colour of the aurora, it’s useful to have a basic understanding of the structure and function of the eye. The retina (the layer of cells at the back of the eye that sense and respond to light) contains two type of photo sensor cells, the “Rods” and the “Cones”. Rods are exceptionally sensitive to light, but they are relatively low resolution and only “see” in black and white. “The single most important thing that you can do to maximised your visual experience of the aurora is to allow your eyes to fully adjust to the darkness. ” DR STEPHEN VOSS - ADDICTED AURORA CHASER
What is the best way to view auroras in-flight? We recommend making things as dark as possible, perhaps put a black jumper/hoodie over your head, press your head against the window to view the aurora, relax and wait for your eyes to adjust. The more the adjust, you should see more colour in the aurora. During this time, do not look at the screen on your phone or anything bright, your eyes need to adjust to complete darkness. Can you recommend the best mode to take photos on a smart phone? From previous experience we have seen good results using“ night mode” with a long exposure. If your phone does not have this option, you can download the “easy long exposure camera” app if you have an iPhone and long exposure camera 2 for androids. I have a digital camera with a good lens, what settings should I have camera on? Fantastic, once you book our professional photographers will give you guidance on the best settings. We have photographers that use Canons, Nikon and Sony. Please note all cameras are different so we recommend doing some research online as well.
Southern Lights by Flight photography tips blog: click here
DR STEPHEN VOSS
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