Sky's Up January-February 2018 | Page 26

— Photography by Terry Mann — — Photography by Terry Mann — “I call this image ‘Winter Silence.’ It was taken north of Fairbanks, Alaska. This tree caught my eye as I waited for the aurora to appear. That night the stars looked like diamonds and the familiar constellations seemed to get lost in all the stars. A CBS news crew stayed with our group hoping to catch the aurora, they were not disappointed!” Coronal aurora in Fairbanks, Alaska — “I love Alaska, I have been there in the summer and winter. Winter can be very cold but I prefer it to summer. It is a great place to view the aurora and watch it dance from horizon to horizon. When the aurora goes coronal, overhead, it moves so fast that there are times it is hard to turn your camera to get the shot. By that time, your jaw is on the ground in disbelief of what you just experienced. It was around -25° on this night. At these temperatures all I had to do was turn around with my cable release in my hand, and see my wire to my camera snap into two pieces. The cold really can mess with the cameras so go prepared.” 26 “I call this image ‘Mile 48.’ Here, I’m on the Dalton Highway (the Haul road). I was on a driving tour to the Arctic Circle with a guide and six others. A snow storm blew in on the way back to Fairbanks. We were dealing with blizzard conditions. We were driving beside and above the Yukon River when suddenly, sky opened up. We all jumped out of the van and took image after image as the aurora blazed across the sky. The ice road trucker’s headlights lit the trees as they drove by. Forty-five minutes later the clouds closed in and we were on our way again. We spent fifteen hours on the road but it was worth it. If there is a most amazing night to be had on a bucket list, this was it.” Arched Milky Way in Bryce Canyon National Park — “This is one of my favorite images. I call it ‘Cosmic Rainbow.’ I hiked into the canyon, down a narrow path and took this image while inside the canyon looking up. There was barely enough room for my tripod legs. I remember thinking how the headline might read the next morning: ‘Amateur astronomer hikes down canyon in the dark, pressed shutter button as she fell into the canyon, see farewell picture below!!’ Getting to truly dark skies makes such a difference in what you see and image.” Sky ’ s Up Cabin aurora and Big Dipper in Fairbanks, Alaska — “I call this image, ‘The Only One Awake.’ It reminds me of this quote: ‘We of the night will know many things of which sleepers will never dream.’ - Bessie Hyde HOW TRUE!!! I was the only one awake that I know of. It was close to 3 a.m., and it was really cold outside, but the sky was on fire. There was no way I could go in and sleep. Nights like this are why I came to Alaska. Notice the Big Dipper tangled in the aurora.” Sky ’ s Up Milky Way and the Rams at Borrego Springs, Calif. — “This was something I had wanted to see for a long time, the Galleta Meadows Metal Sculptures in Borrego Springs. The sculptures are incredible, day or night. If you are there during the New Moon and are not familiar with the locations of all the sculptures, they can be hard to find in the dark.” 27