A private page for all those on the 2012 Hurtigruten Astronomy Voyage on MS
Finnmarken
Please send your images to Ian Ridpath <ian @ ianridpath.com>
Guests on this voyage saw excellent aurorae on the nights of October 31 (right
next to the full Moon!) and November 1, with lesser activity the following
night.
For pictures of the October 31 display taken from Sortland in the Lofoten
Islands by local photographer Frank Olsen see here and here.
For pictures of the November 1 aurora over Tromsø taken from the quayside by local photographer Fredrik Broms, including one of
the Finnmarken about to pass under the Tromsø bridge, see here.
For real-time video of the November 1 display taken by local photographer
Kai-Marius Pedersen see here. Look out for the bright meteor passing through the Plough towards the end!
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King Neptune arrives on Deck 8 of MS Finnmarken for the Crossing the Line
ceremony as we enter his domain inside the Arctic Circle. Finnmarken’s on-board Tour Manager Aud Raestad narrates. Captain Raymond Martinsen, behind
the table, guards the icy water for baptising the passengers while, next to it
on the table, a restoring drink awaits.
Photo: Ian Ridpath
Your aurora pictures
Here is a selection of those I have received from guests on board. I have been
overwhelmed by the number and the quality of the pictures – so many of them, in fact, that I have had to extend this site to a second page.
Given that this was the first stab at aurora photography for most of you, and
some were not using a tripod, I think these are tremendous – the best I have seen from any Hurtigruten Astronomy Voyage to date. The aurorae
were bright and noticeably green to the eye, while the moonlight on the
snow-covered mountains imparted a magical touch to the scene.
Click on the thumbnails for a higher-resolution version.
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Alan Darroch, Preston
2012 November 1.
Rippling bands and loops seen from the deck of MS Finnmarken in harbour at Tromsø. Despite the bright lights of the town, plus the full Moon, the aurora was
easily visible even before the ship left port.
Exposures: (1), 10 seconds at f/3.5, 1600 ISO; (2) and (4), 2s, f/3.5, 6400 ISO;
(3), 4s, f/3.5, 3200 ISO. Taken with a tripod-mounted Canon EOS 600D.
Alan says: “Thanks for the excellent presentations you and Mona delivered on the voyage and
all the practical tips and assistance in getting about the night sky you
provided on deck.”
Tony Bradley, Preston
2012 November 1.
A series taken as the aurora developed over the ship after leaving Tromsø harbour.
Images (1–4): 8s exposure at f/4, 800 ISO; image (5): 8s, f/5.6, 1600 ISO. All taken with
a tripod-mounted Canon EOS 300D.
Tony also sends a short animation in WMV format taken later that same night from
the stern of the ship as it left Skjervøy. It consists of 22 still frames, each of 6 seconds exposure at f/5.6 and 800
ISO, stitched together. The size of the movie is 500 kB; to download it, click here.
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John Harrison, Little Chalfont
2012 November 1.
A superb set of images, showing a range of twisting shapes. The camera was
tripod-mounted and the star images are beautifully crisp. Exposures range from
a mere 1.6 seconds (Image 1) via 2.5s (Image 3) to 3.2s, apertures f/3.5 (1 and
2) and f/4, all 1600 ISO. Sony DSLR-A700. This aurora was bright! Even so, surprisingly little red is visible in any of the pictures.
Comments John: “After being forewarned by a friend, who had been on a previous trip, that the
NLs were grey to the naked eye, we were thrilled to bits to see them in all
their majestic green glory! And for over three hours as well!!”
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Kathryn Robson
2012 November 1.
Auroral bands and loops seen above the moonlit mountains north of Tromsø over a period of several hours, bright enough that they required only short
exposures.
Images (1), (2): 3.2s, f/4.5, 1600 ISO; images (3), (4), (5), (6): 2s, f/4.5,
3200 ISO.
All taken with a tripod-mounted Canon EOS 7D.
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For episodes of the Hurtigruten 365 TV series go to the NRK website
Episode 9 is the Big Storm. No English subtitles, unfortunately.
For the full six-day trip from Bergen to Kirkenes, live on Norwegian TV, see
