Chasing the Northern Lights in Maine

I have always wanted to see the northern lights. Growing up in Scotland, I was too far south and stuck in the glow of Glasgow most nights. The sky there is bright enough that you are lucky to see more than a handful of stars, never mind anything as special as aurora.

When I moved to the US I figured my chances might get better. Ten years in Massachusetts and now ten years in Maine should have helped, but somehow I never managed to be in the right place at the right time. I even passed through Iceland a few times on trips back to Scotland. You would think that would be the perfect chance, but I never really left the airport. One of those layovers turned into days of sitting around waiting for a flight, and it honestly put me off the whole Iceland route for a while.

The Perfect Storm

This November everything lined up. There were reports of a huge solar storm brewing around November 11th 2025, and for once I paid attention. I headed out with my eldest son and we drove to the blueberry barrens in Kennebunk. It is one of the darkest spots around here and I figured if there was ever a time to try, this was it.

We stepped out of the car and right away something looked different. At first it was just a pale streak across the sky that almost looked like a cloud, but after a minute it started turning green. Then it shifted again and this bright, unreal red washed across part of the sky. It honestly didn’t look real. I tried to ignore the freezing wind as I steadied my phone on an old fence post.

Of course, this had to be the night my main night-shooting lens was out of commission. I had to make do with my iPhone and another lens I had in the bag, which felt like bad luck at first. But I got a few shots I was actually happy with. One of them even made it onto Flickr Explore, which completely surprised me.

Afterthoughts

I hope I get another chance soon. Seeing it once just made me want to see it again, only this time with a proper camera setup and a bit more preparation. Maine is full of dark places if you know where to look, and now that I finally caught the aurora once, I feel like it is only a matter of time before I get another crack at it.

Click the images below to see a larger view.