Aurora Borealis over Regina, Saskatchewan: Fall Display

Recently, I caught the green and pink glow of the Aurora Borealis flickering over Regina, Saskatchewan.

Face of the Aurora Borealis.  © SB

With winter coming, I monitor the web for alerts for the Aurora Borealis for the Regina area, but most times the Northern Lights appear, our local skies are cloudy. When this vibrant show hit a few weeks back, however, I lucked out. I stepped outside just after sunset and saw green lights wavering across the darkness above me. We immediately got out our cameras and headed out of town. It was a mild evening, and we stayed out for several hours. (Mild = very cold in ski jackets by the time we came home, but not totally frozen...)

Here are some other thumbnails from that amazing display. The first image at left shows the green and pink Northern Lights over the Big Dipper. Click to open them on my Flickr photostream:

What are these? Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.
Location: Slightly beyond the city lights of Regina, Saskatchewan.
Photo date: September 30, 2012.

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Ursa Major - Great Bear above my Prairie House

I was delighted to see the Big Dipper bright in the West when I looked out this week at the night prairie sky. 

I took a series of photographs, and the next day realized I'd captured Ursa Major, the Great Bear — the lovely nymph Callisto cast into the heavens to circle the North Star.

The Big Dipper is likely the first constellation that anyone learns — except that it's not a constellation at all, but instead, an asterism that makes up an unlikely tail and other parts of sprawling Ursa Major. 

The Big Dipper is extremely easy to find in our Northern sky. The Great Bear's body and legs are also fairly simple on a clear, dark night.

And her muzzle, I can see, too — a bright star called Muscida, at the far right end of the line formed across the bowl of the dipper, then the top of the bear's body and off into the fainter clusters of sky objects.

After peering at the image for a while, I can also see her eyes.

As for her ears and the exact shape of her head, I'll need a very dark night to figure those out. (And yes, "her." Ursa Major is a female bear, and Ursa Minor, the Little Dipper, may or may not be her son.)

The Big Dipper is marked in red, the bear's body and legs
in purple, and a rough outline of her head, in green.
(See her muzzle and eyes?) © SB  

I think, however, that my outline of this constellation looks more like a horse than a bear, perhaps because of the Big Dipper's handle, which creates that long, elegant tail. It may also be because the fainter stars that help bulk out this shape are not visible within the city.

But now, when I go back and look at the first photograph with just the stars, and half close my eyes, I start to see and feel the presence of the Great Bear in our northern sky.


What are these stars? Ursa Major, the Great Bear (with the Big Dipper) 
Location: Backyard, looking West, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Photo date: 10:55 p.m., July 18, 2012.

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Jupiter and Venus meet in the night sky

Two of the brightest stars in the prairie sky right now are planets — Jupiter and Venus in conjunction in the west, clearly visible at dusk and for a few hours after.

Jupiter and Venus in conjunction, in Aires © SB 

I set up the tripod in the backyard about an hour after sunset. The picture above, taken when it was still light enough to catch the branches of a lilac bush and the deep blue evening sky, shows the constellation Aries at right, with the two planets on the left.

Venus is the brightest shining "star", while in this image, Jupiter (at left) has a slight pink fringe — a weird digital artifact. Not an artifact, but also (beautifully!) weird, are the dots above and below Jupiter, at about the 11 and 5 o'clock positions. Moons!  (Click to view larger.) 

Jupiter has moons!  © SB   

What is this? The early night sky, with Jupiter (left) and Venus (right) in conjunction in Aries.   
Location: My backyard, Regina, Saskatchewan. (facing west)  
Tech stuff:  ISO 400, 0.8 sec; Nikon D7000, Nikkor 40mm 2.8 lens; one hour after sunset.   
Photo dates: March 12, 2012. 

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Black-Crowned Night Heron near Craven SK

Black-Crowned Night Heron, in marsh east of Craven  © SB 

Along Highway 99, East of Craven, Saskatchewan: One of the biggest and most surprising birds I've seen is this Black-Crowned Night Heron. It was lurking in the newly renovated (thanks to this springs' floods) marsh along Highway 99, east of Craven. 

And yes, this is supposed to be a primarily nocturnal bird — but clearly one that doesn't follow all the rules, as it was only 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. — close to our bright prairie noon. 

This bird is huge — more penguin-sized than anything else. It's also very good at hiding — although perhaps not quite as good as it hopes it is... 

I'd stopped along the gravel shoulder to look at a Great Blue Heron that was hanging out further into the marsh, and it wasn't until after that heron flew away that I noticed this one lurking behind a clump of reeds. 

Flower note: They're too blurry to identify, but from the bright pink colour, the flowers in the top photo with the Night Heron may be Water Smartweed. 

You can't see me! © SB 

What is this? Black-Crowned Night Heron, a very large bird. 
Location: Along Highway 99, East of Craven, yes, Saskatchewan. 

Photo Date: September 4, 2011. 

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