Northern Lights

[fourteen85]

Have any of you seen these?  i ask because I heard that you don't get the green effect with the naked eye only through a camera lens. Can anyone tell me if this is a wives tale or true?

[Cloverjo]

I saw them, and they were white. The colours are added post-production on film

[barry1010]

The camera lens works different to the human eye and captures colours that are there but usually can't be seen, although everyones eyesight differs.  It also depends on where you are in the world and the strength of the northern lights - like snow, rain, fog every showing is unique ranging from faint and weak to deep and strong.

So you might see whites and greys and the person next to you will be seeing colour and your camera will show vivid, strong colours. 

Nicely explained, with photos, here https://earthsky.org/earth/will-you-see-colors-in-an-aurora/

Your photos don't need to be edited to show the colours, if they are there your camera will capture them

[fourteen85]

thank you both for your replies. Barry, that link was really useful thanks 

[barry1010]

I have seen the northern lights when I was in the top of Scotland, there was a pinkish hue.   I didn't have a camera, I am a very poor photographer and have no real interest in looking at life through a lens, but it would have been fascinating to see what the camera picked up.

 

[Tuvok]

You see the green naked eye.  Only if its a really strong storm you may see red.  

You will see red in any photos.

https://aurorawatch.lancs.ac.uk

 

People I know have photos on Flickr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/auroraborealis/

[bhg481]

It's not the camera lens, it's the sensor that records the image that has a different colour response to the human eye. Using a film camera would not give the same response as a digital camera.

[barry1010]

In a similar vein, I have seen photographers on tv (Countryfile and the like) take photos of the night sky with their phones  in 'dark sky' areas and the photos have shown thousands of stars and other things that I cannot name yet I didn't see them on my tv.

Did the camera really photograph them or did AI add them automatically because the software knew they were there, hidden from sight?

[juliecarlstan]

fourteen85, Yes I have seen the Northern Lights, very Bright and close! Amazing. Lots of green. I live in USA up by the Canadian Border, so the lights may shine differently in different atmospheres?