The evening of December 22, 2022, and into the early morning hours of December 23 was an incredible time to be out! The solar wind data indicated that aurora activity was very likely and very soon. I was late getting away from the house to head out and, as I made it to the highway, it was clear that a very bright arc was shining in the sky. The fact that it was visible to the naked eye with so much light pollution let me know that activity was imminent. Sure enough, as I was making my way to the Knik River area, I had to turn around and head to Beach Lake. The aurora was already kicking off!
I started out down by the lake. When I arrived, I was the only person there. Shortly after that, a group of tourists from Michigan showed up. They proceeded to make their way onto the frozen lake and into my line of sight for shooting. The activity had already begun to wane as I was setting up, so I decided to make my way to a different area where I wouldn’t be bothered by others. I set up at the mushing area and I am glad I did! The activity was fantastic. The shot above is a 7-panel panorama I took as the aurora began illuminating the night sky!
You can see all of the pictures from this night and others in my Beach Lake gallery.