On October 9, 2024, an aurora alert was issued. A coronal mass ejection (CME) had been observed on the surface of the sun, and the blast was directly aimed at Earth. The charged particles were due to arrive the following day, and bright auroras were predicted to happen. My friend Darren and I hatched a plan: we would drive out to Kananaskis in the afternoon, scope out some locations for photography, and then wait for darkness to fall.
Lower Kananaskis Lake
Darren and I have done this before: drive out only to find out that the aurora alert was a false alarm. But this time, the aurora popped out of the fading twilight as darkness fell over lower Kananaskis Lake.
It had been cloudy earlier in the day, but after sundown the clouds retreated to reveal clear skies. A few clouds remained to give definition to the sky.
Here is Darren snapping some pictures underneath the glowing sky.
Upper Kananaskis Lake
After shooting at this location for a while, the aurora diminished in intensity. We used this break in the action to change locations. We set up on the dam that holds back Upper Kananaskis Lake. We stood there for a long time wondering if the show was over, but then suddenly the aurora fired up again.
Mount Lorette Ponds
It was starting to get late. We decided to pack up, start heading towards home, and on the way stop by a few more locations. We pulled out at Mount Lorette Ponds, looked up, and sure enough the sky was ablaze with aurora.
The starlight and aurora reflected in the ponds. Here is Darren contemplating the scenery.
Darren was as wowed with the scenery as I was. We agreed that the only thing that could make the scene any better is a skiff of snow, to give the foreground more definition. But that’s a minor nitpick – the display was just awesome.
I should mention that Mount Lorette Ponds is a location that holds special significance for me. My good friend Dave passed away earlier that year, and we spread his ashes at Mount Lorette Ponds back in July. Dave was a night-hawk and a keen star-gazer. I felt Dave’s presence as I was taking pictures. It was a reassuring, peaceful feeling.
Barrier Lake
We were starting to get really tired. My eyelids were dropping and my head felt fuzzy. But we decided to do one more stop: Barrier Lake. As we stepped out of the car the aurora was perhaps the most intense it had been all night.
As we drove home, wearily, with the aurora still dancing in the sky above us, we both agreed: this was the most intense aurora we both have witnessed. What an awesome night.