Oh my! I just spent the last several days camping in Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyoming. It was a fantastic time and a much-needed break. On Monday, I received a message from a friend (thanks, Stu!) letting me know that a geomagnetic storm could potentially allow the aurora borealis to be viewed that night.
My wife and I initially tried around 11:00pm but it wasn’t visible to the naked eye and barely visible on a long camera exposure. Hoping it would strengthen, we went to bed and set our alarm for 1:00am. It was tough to get up and go out in the mountain cold but we did – and it was worth it.
While the storm was weaker than expected and thus so too were the lights, you could faintly make them out with your naked eye. With my camera though and a 20 second exposure, wow! The sky above the forest was glowing in pink / purple and the moon just starting to climb above the horizon added some interest. Above, the stars were of course lit brilliantly including the tail of the Milky Way. But, topping it off, there are meteors over the trees and, to the top right, my biggest surprise – the Andromeda Galaxy!
While the northern lights weren’t as bright as hoped, I am certainly not complaining. 
