Dancing Skies Captured in Pictures

Have you seen the northern lights this winter? They have been extra active and brilliant.

There have been several nights over the last month or two in Ontario's Sunset Country with a great display of the northern lights which led up to the strongest geomagnetic storm on March 17/18th, 2015. The skies seemed to be celebrating St. Patrick's Day too. 

Winter in the Northwest Ontario is generally a good time to view northern lights. The many dark hours and the frequency of clear nights provide many good opportunities to watch the aurora borealis. Usually, the best time of night to watch for the northern lights is around midnight.

Here are some of the best northern lights in Sunset Country this winter:

MacKenzie Point, Thunder Bay, Ontario by DZ Photography:

March 18, 2015 Northern Lights captured by Day Vid Z Photography
March 18, 2015, Northern Lights captured by DZ Photography
Silhouettes of trees in front of the Northern Lights by DZ Photography
Silhouettes of trees in front of the Northern Lights by DZ Photography

Dave Zahodnik of DZ Photography, is a self-taught professional portrait photographer who is passionate about creating eye-catching photos. When he is not in the studio he is outside photographing these beautiful Northern Lights. He captured the above photos at MacKenzie Point in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada on March 18th around 11-11:30pm. 

Fantastic Colours in the Aurora Borealis at Fireside Lodge:

Green and purple Northern Lights at Fireside Lodge in Sioux Lookout
Green and purple Northern Lights at Fireside Lodge in Sioux Lookout

Living and running a lodge in the wilderness certainly, has its benefits. Alan Brandys of Fireside Lodge on Little Vermilion Lake in Sioux Lookout took this wonderful photo at about 5:00am on March 17, 2015. The purple colour is less common than the green. Visit their Facebook page to see more northern lights and wilderness photos.

Beautiful Green Streak Across the Sky Above Kenora in Early March:

Northern Lights in Kenora, Ontario
Northern Lights in Kenora, Ontario taken by Gerry Cariou.

Back side of the Sleeping Giant, looking North near Perry Bay, Lake Superior by Jakub Sisak Photography:

Northern Lights from the backside of the Sleeping Giant by Jakub Sisak Photography
Northern Lights from the back side of the Sleeping Giant by Jakub Sisak Photography

This photo taken of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is actually a 4-image panorama merged in Photoshop. You can read more about the techniques Jakub used on his Facebook page.

February Display of the Northern Lights at MacKenzie Point by Jakub Sisak Photography:

Northern Lights at MacKenzie Point by Jakub Sisak Photography
Northern Lights at MacKenzie Point by Jakub Sisak Photography

Spectacular Northern Lights in Thunder Bay by Justin T Stevens:

Bright northern lights in Thunder Bay by Justin T. Stevens
Bright northern lights in Thunder Bay by Justin T. Stevens

Justin Stevens, another photographer out of Thunder Bay, captured this amazing display of the northern lights in Thunder Bay at 9:52pm on March 17, 2015.

Northern Lights Dancing at the Boat Launch on Darlington Bay in Keewatin:

Northern Lights in Keewatn, Ontario by Katie Murray
Northern Lights in Keewatin, Ontario by Katie Murray

Amateur photographer Katie Murray took this gorgeous photo on March 17, 2015 at the boat launch on Darlington Bay (by the old boat lift) in Keewatin using a Nikon D5200 camera.

Northern Lights Beneath the Stars in Quetico Park:

Northern Lights in Quetico Park
Northern Lights in Quetico Park

Leanne Marttunen took this photo of the northern lights in Quetico Provincial Park a while back. While it wasn't taken this winter, I've chosen to include it as it's such a great angle to take the photo. If you have the chance to lie down and looks up and watch the northern lights dance above, you'll never forget it. 

Here's a fantastic time-lapse video shot on March 2nd and March 17th, 2015 by Victor Chimenti at Costal Productions in Thunder Bay. It was shot at multiple locations in and around Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada.

The Northern Lightshow - Timelapse 2015 from Costal Productions on Vimeo.

About Erin Rody

I grew up on Black Sturgeon Lake in Northwestern Ontario. I am a staff writer for the Sunset Country Travel Association. Through my articles I hope to entice you to visit the wonderful region I call home. We are all about outdoor adventure; with 70,000 lakes and rivers and a whole lot of forests how can we not be? Whether you like to fish, hunt, canoe, kayak, boat or go camping, Sunset Country has something for you. Enjoy!

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