08/05/2026
Photo of the Day
Credit: Roz Zito
Near Lake Eppalock
2025 and 2026 have been exceptional for auroras due to intense solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun.
I missed the show in May 2025, but in early October I was in central Victoria and had a few fruitless attempts ? but at least found that Lake Eppalock was a good south-facing vantage point in our area without much light pollution and an open view over the water.
It pays to scout out your location.
We were just about to have dinner when an Aurora group I follow posted that aurora activity was likely an hour or so after sunset. We bolted our food, gathered our gear, and set off, filled with hope and excitement.
I had already done my homework on recommended settings for both cameras and phones, which I put in before leaving, and made sure the batteries were fully charged. I highly recommend such preparation.
When we arrived, there was faint pink to the naked eye due south across the lake. I took photos with my ?real? camera on a tripod: 16-35 lens; settings F2.8; 10?, ISO 1600. The camera picked up a lovely soft pink aurora. After an hour and a half, it clouded over.
We packed up and started driving home - but I kept my eyes peeled. About ten minutes into the drive, I spotted a break in the clouds, with pillars of light that were pinkish to the naked eye. By then I knew what to look for, so I was sure it was the aurora.
I yelled to my husband, ?Pull over!? He pulled over immediately, being used to this command! We both jumped out of the car with our phones and started shooting.
The phones did an incredible job set to a 16:9 aspect ratio; on night mode; 3 second exposure; no flash.
Cameras pick up so much of the incredible colour wavelength of the Auroras - skyfire of pink, red, and magenta for the Australis, usually green for the Borealis.
The Lady went off like a frog in a sock for only about a minute, then clouds closed in again.
No time to unpack the ?real? cameras and set them up on tripods ? but thanks to the phones, we have a visual memory of an event that we will never forget.
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