Wendy Kotorynski sacrificed a lot of sleep for some stunning images along the Parksville waterfront early Monday morning. (submitted photo/Wendy Kotorynski)

By Ian Holmes

SPACE STORM

‘It’s so rare:’ local photographer captures dazzling Aurora Borealis display

Feb 27, 2023 | 11:07 AM

NANAIMO — Wendy Kotorynksi wasn’t convinced the stars would align for a potential space show.

But the night “was in the epic category” for the Parksville woman and avid space photography buff as she spent roughly five hours overnight Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Parksville Community Park boardwalk.

Over the course of the evening Kotorysnki captured stunning images of the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights.

Predominately green shades danced through the evening sky as low cloud cover gave way to clearances for the light show above.

“I was following that all day and I knew that there was a chance, but I also saw that there were clouds in the forecast so I wasn’t too hopeful. But we had a window where the clouds cleared,” Kotorynski said.

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Her excitement grew as other local reports of the lights display were made at around 7:30 p.m.

She camped out on Parksville’s waterfront from 10 p.m. Sunday until 3 a.m. Monday.

Several people out for midnight strolls paused to chat with Kotorynski, while enjoying the show for themselves.

Particles of sun interacting with earth’s magnetic field unleashed bands of green and at times pink and shades of red, Kotorynksi said.

“It’s so rare so I think that’s why a lot of us who chase the Aurora and do night sky photography we love it so much because it’s not an everyday thing and it’s always so different,” Kotorynksi told NanaimoNewsNOW.

Kotorysnki has enjoyed filming the night sky for about a decade, which she calls a strong passion and one which keeps her coming back for more.

Greens, reds and other colours danced in the night sky through a rare, strong display of Aurora Borealis in Parksville. (submitted photo/Wendy Kotorynski)

She said it’s important for people either capturing images or just enjoying the moment to be patient when it comes to enjoying the solar system.

“Because it takes your eyes about 20 minutes to adjust to the dark, that’s when you see more stars and just everything that’s up there in the sky. Be patient and also know that the camera picks up more than the naked eye.”

Kotorynksi said the Aurora should be present for the next couple of nights.

She’ll be keeping tabs to hopefully add to her collection, but said the weather may not cooperate.

“Always on the West Coast,” she signed.

Similar sightings were reported across the mid-Island with avid photographers capturing images in Lantzville and Qualicum Beach.

VIU astronomy professor Dr. Gregory Arkos also captured the show in Nanaimo.

He said the show began shortly before he was planning to turn in for the night.

“The red aurora in some images were visible naked eye, still much dimmer than the bright green portion and took place in a short window around 2 a.m. The other, mostly green, aurora images were hardly visible with the naked eye when looking into Nanaimo’s light dome but easily captured in a few second exposure by the camera on tripod.”

His photos were the result of a four to eight second long exposure and some post-production including increasing contrast and saturation.

He recommended visiting the website Space Weather for more detailed information on when chances to see the Northern Lights might come.

The Northern Lights were also spotted through Nanaimo, with distinct red and green hues. (submitted photo/Dr. Gregory Arkos)

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