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Vincent Ledvina

@vincentledvina.bsky.social

16K followers 120 following 2.9K posts

📷”The Aurora Guy” 🌌Space Physics Ph.D. student 📍North Pole, Alaska 🫂Participatory science, science comm. 🌀 Professional aurora chaser 👨‍💻Views my own

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 15d

What are the best cameras and lenses for aurora photography? How about at different price points? Let's break it down, but first, read my blog article about it: theauroraguy.com/blogs/blog/m...

(photo by Face the Outdoors)

My Top Camera Gear Recommendations for Aurora Photography

How to choose the best camera and lens for aurora photography. The best lenses and cameras at budget-friendly pricepoints

theauroraguy.com

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 32m

In short, this CME is directed towards Earth, but I don't think we will see much out of it from this first look. We'll see, though!

Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 32m

This is a complex eruption, it seems. The C9.6 flare from AR 4146 launches a CME, but a filament was destabilized during this event as well. There is a lot of westward deflection. It is hard to judge what exactly is coming at Earth without LASCO/CCOR.

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 32m

Earth is to the left in this image, so you can see there is a slow CME blob heading that way, probably towards Earth. I am guessing we will see a glancing blow from this, but as is the problem with single-coronagraph measurements, we don't see the E-W component here.

#heliophysics

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1h

Of course, you can learn more about CMEs on my website and through my e-book:

CME background: go.theauroraguy.com/huxtmodel
E-book: go.theauroraguy.com/ebook

An Aurora Chaser's Guide to the HUXt CME Model

Calling all aurora chasers! Learn how CME models work to inform geomagnetic storm forecasts and how the HUXt model can help better inform predictions of geomagnetic and auroral activity. In this guide...

go.theauroraguy.com

Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1h

A C9.6 flare from AR 4146 produced a coronal dimming suggesting a CME left the Sun's atmosphere... from preliminary STEREO-A COR2 imagery, it looks like the CME is slow but partially heading towards Earth. We now wait for LASCO/CCOR and models to give us more information.

#heliophysics

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 2h

Amazing , fast-moving aurora

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 9h

Fall auroras in Fairbanks, Alaska are hard to beat.

Book a tour: theauroraguy.com/pages/alaska...

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 12h

Pretty gorgeous shot now from Isle Royale, albeit in B&W. The vibe is pretty unique, though. Might have had a little release in GOES Mag over the past 5-10 minutes... hoping to see a big flush of particles instead of these mini trickles.

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 12h

We have some movement of the lower border on this band towards the north in Ely, MN. It looks bright and is worth a look if you're at 45N+ latitude. Likely will improve when we see a full-blown substorm as well...

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 12h

We could see a substorm soon as values have dropped VERY low enough to trigger a sort of "criticality" at any time.

go.theauroraguy.com/goesmag go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

Master Aurora Chasing with the GOES Magnetometers

The GOES magnetometers are my favorite tools for reliable and accurate aurora forecasts, but chances are, you have never heard of them!

go.theauroraguy.com

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 12h

Took a break from homework, and WOW look at how low GOES Mag has gotten over the past couple hours. Even without much Bz south, the By component and generally higher Bt with ~600 km/s speed is feeding energy into the magnetosphere.

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 13h

There seems to be a bit of glow to the north on the Maine webcam here... hard to tell in this video screenshot and with the moon interfering. Things could get good if Bz flips negative and/or we get a substorm out of this positive Bz (possible).

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 13h

Bz has been almost completely positive over the last six hours, stifling any chances for geomagnetic storming. Nevertheless, there is a bit of glow on the Maine webcam probably due to the fact the Bt is relatively high and speed is ~700 km/s.

theauroraguy.com/pages/webcams

Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 17h

Monitor auroral visibility in real-time: go.theauroraguy.com/webcams go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

Download my free e-book for context on these tools, etc.: go.theauroraguy.com/ebook

Webcams

Live aurora cameras from around the world including Alaska, Canada, Norway, Iceland, and more! The most comprehensive list of webcams available with live-updating feeds. Never miss the next northern l...

go.theauroraguy.com

Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 17h

Bz *wants* to go negative, but will it in any major way? We'll see! Current data support some low-level views for U.S.-Canada border states, likely best seen with long exposures and a smartphone/DSLR. Substorms may create more intense, dynamic views.

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 17h

The Hp 30 index does not show much activity at the moment, probably due to the Bz which is barely negative. Bt is around 15 nT, so if Bz turned solidly negative and remained there for an hour or so, I am guessing we would see G1 conditions. G2 could be possible with extended periods of -Bz.

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 19h

There may be a small-scale flux rope due to a CME or little blob during this CIR... just interesting and thought I'd note it. Still watching and waiting for Bz to be in a more favorable configuration.

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 22h

Land of the Living Skies

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 23h

Heads up! Solar wind is heating up! Bt is over 15 nT now and climbing, classic for a CIR signature. Bz remains positive. With -Bz, we could see G1-G2 conditions. Keep an eye on solar wind for potential mid-latitude aurora tonight. Stay tuned!

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 23h

Nice aurora in Banff, Alberta last night during the substorm also seen in Ely, MN. Large pillars stretched high in the sky on the Sunshine Village Webcam. Did anyone see the aurora last night? Who has clear skies tonight for a potential follow-up show?

theauroraguy.com/pages/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1d

Here's a snapshot of the auroral oval from the NOAA-20 satellite at 3:53 am CDT this morning. This seems to be during substorm recovery period and thus not much aurora is visible except for in Canada on the west coast. Cool, still!

#heliophysics

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1d

The final lineup for my 2026 calendar… really happy with the selection and how everything turned out for this 🙂

go.theauroraguy.com/2026-aurora-...

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1d

Quite a dramatic view of the aurora now from Ely, MN as this substorm continues. Very nice! These high-altitude red emissions could be seen from the central U.S. perhaps with a long exposure.

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1d

Current view from Pinawa, MB showing a bright arc with some beads forming. An auroral bulge seems to be approaching from the west. It seems like substorm initiation may have been much further west. Interesting!

go.theauroraguy.com/webcams

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Vincent Ledvina @vincentledvina.bsky.social · 1d

Substorm propagating from the western part of the continent as beads are visible on the NoDDAC cam in North Dakota. GOES West popped first indicating onset was further towards the evening sector, cool!

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