Milky Way + Aurora Borealis = Night to Remember
The night of March 21/22, 2026, wasn’t ideal for Milky Way photography (a bit early in the season), but the sky was clear in the Pacific Northwest and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity for some nighttime practice. I spent the early morning hours trying to stay warm at Castle Lake Viewpoint in the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, where I was treated to not one but two impressive celestial displays. Practice didn’t make me perfect by any means, but it was well worth the chill.
Timelapse video of the Milky Way galactic center rising above Mount St. Helens from Castle Lake Viewpoint, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, on the night of March 21/22, 2026. Actual time elapsed was about 3 hours. Video processing, CapCut PC software.
