Watch above: Their numbers have grown but the ‘Aurora Hunters’ are all kept busy chasing the Northern Lights around Saskatoon. Peter Quinlan introduces us to the group and finds out what challenges they are facing.
SASKATOON – They’re a spectacle that dazzles your eyes as they dance across the sky. The aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, has made for many late nights for a local group who call themselves hunters, seeking to capture a display hundreds of kilometers away.
Colin Chatfield’s passion for aurora photography grew so much that people started calling him “The Aurora Hunter.”
“They’re never the same twice, you can go out every night and always see something different,” said Chatfield.
He says that is where his idea for the group, Saskatchewan Aurora Hunters, came about.
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“It really exploded just due to media coverage, it really took off. It started in October with about 20 people and today we’re at 722 members.”
Aurora Hunters member Cynthia Salgado says all it took was one night to spark her interest.
“Colin and I went out to shoot meteors one night and we got aurora and they weren’t supposed to be out, but they came out. So after that it was like, ‘I’m hooked’,” said Salgado.
“Anyone can do it. You’d think it’d be complicated, but it’s actually not. You just have to have the right settings, and that you can do by just playing around with your settings. You don’t even need to have a big education or anything, you can just go out and play,” she said.
Cutting edge aurora research is being done right here in our own backyard.
The University of Saskatchewan is the only institution in Canada involved in an international network that maps interactions in the outermost layer of the atmosphere, which is where particles from the sun interact with the earth’s gases to create the northern lights.
Saskatchewan is a hotbed for these stunning sights, with the province frequently situated under what’s called an aurora oval – a region where the effects of space weather are experienced most intensely.
And that is when the Aurora Hunters head out.
“When the aurora oval is quite active, we start texting each other, ‘who’s going out, what’s happening,’ and then we all end up going out,” explained Salgado.
“We might go out five nights in a row, and a lot of us work in the morning, so it’s very hard to go to work the next day, but we still do it, it’s kind of crazy.”
One of the newer members, Denise Reddekopp, recalls what was one of the most magnificent aurora nights for her:
“It was three quarters of the sky and all the way across. It was huge and big and almost shimmers like water does. It was pretty spectacular,” said Reddekopp.
As cities grow, so do the challenges faced by Saskatchewan’s Aurora Hunters.
“Part of the problem is the city of Saskatoon doesn’t seem to be on board with any light pollution policies and we’re seeing these new areas crop up like Grasswood is horrible for light pollution and Stonebridge. They’re not really using these full cutoff lights like they should be,” said Chatfield.
He says to get better viewing conditions, they often have to retreat to one of the provinces few protected zones like the grasslands and Cypress Hills dark sky reserves.
“Lots of cities are coming on board and have policies in place or are working on policies, and it’s something in the works with the Royal Astronomy society in Saskatoon. But I think it’s kind of falling on deaf ears here.”
But there isn’t much stopping these hunters, who spend hours outside on some the coldest nights of the year, doing whatever it takes to frame up a new favourite shot.
Reddekopp says the latest she was up for the aurora was 3 a.m.
“But that started at 3 o’clock and we stayed out until eight in the morning. Anything you can get aurora in I think is a good photo,” said Reddekopp.
Salgado has goals for her aurora photography.
“To catch that perfect, different aurora. I have yet to catch an awesome red aurora, and I missed the best night and I’m kicking myself for it, so ever since, I’m never missing again,” said Salgado.
For Chatfield, he’s just amazed with the group of Aurora Hunters that has come to share the same passion as him.
“A lot of talented people in our group and it’s really phenomenal to be a part of this and I never expected it to grow as it has.”
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