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This is the culmination of many, many hours of timelapsing the auroras this winter.

All footage is made in Andenes, Andøya in north of Norway.

I used two DSLR's, a Canon 350D and a 40D wich took thousands of pictures, then batch processed some of the series and later on put them together to small movies using a fantastic little free program called VirtualDub.

It was a constant struggle against wind, snow and cold. I could not always place the cameras where I wanted to because of wind. That is why you see some fences, because I had to place the camera behind buildings so it wouldnt fall. It took me about 1.5 hour to make 10 seconds of film, mostly taking long exposures at 10 or 13 sec, all depending.

The aurora season this year was not very active but Im glad I atleast got these shots.

The music is licenced by Jamendo, the artist is called Galdson and the nice song is named Merlaska.

This video is not to be used anywhere else than vimeo, without further agreement with me. I can be contacted at terje@nesthus.net

I hope you enjoy this movie :)

© Terje Nesthus 2009
  • Michael Rissi plus 2 years ago
    Absolutely stunning, your freezing was absolutely worth it! Can you see those around Oslo?
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Michael thanks for commenting. :)
    No these are rarely visible that far south, its mostly in the polar circle, but it can occure on a rare occation.
    BTW, did it load fine for you? I wonder because ive had some loading issues but it may be my internet connection
  • Michael Rissi plus 2 years ago
    The movie stopped once or twice while watching t, but probably because I am currently rendering a 4K timelapse movie with After Effects...
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Wow, 4K. I wish i could see that in actually 4K! Send me a message if you upload it :D
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  • trondk 2 years ago
    Nydelige bilder! Vi har det bra fint her i nord. Først i dag tok jeg "Handwärmer" pakkene ut av fotosekken.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Hehehe ja, nå begynner det å bli lyse tider. Det er ufattelig fint her, ser frem til midnattsol! Takk for kommentar
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  • Travis Nobles 2 years ago
    really great work.. absolutely stunning!
    i dont mind that there are buildings and fences in some shots. it gives the images some context and reminds you that it is *real* and not just computer effects!
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  • edvard brun 2 years ago
    Haunting and hypnotic are the words to describe this. Just riveting - congratulations, Terje. I'm curious, is the green aurora most typical in Norway? In Alaska, there are several other colors at times...
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks Edvard :)
    It has been mostly green yes, sometimes purple but I did not see any red this season. But the season was not very active, also there was auroras when this place were overcloaded, wich happens alot. I really want to visit Alaska by the way!
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  • Anne Sorrentino 2 years ago
    This is gorgeous, beautiful work! I can not wait for the day I will be able to witness one myself!
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Yes you have to. Picture, movies or words simply cannot describe it. When you see it, you see how immensely massive it is. Thanks for the comment
  • Anne Sorrentino 2 years ago
    I was supposed to go all the way to Utsjoki, Finland, last summer, to be able to see them. Unfortunately money got in the way and so I still haven't. And I already know it will be such a special moment.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    But you will not see them in the summer, you have to go in the winter. In the summer they can only be seen in antarctica. In the summer, in the (north) polar circle there is midnight sun and you cannot even barely see stars
  • Anne Sorrentino 2 years ago
    Haha I'm an idiot. We definitely did want to go to Utsjoki for the midnight sun, not the auroras. So that's two trips to plan!
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Hehe yes Im waiting for the midnight sun now, sun is up about 03.30 now here.. getting closer every day :)

    It is a weird place I tell you. Winter - no sun at all, just darkness, and nice auroras. Summer - sun all day, no darkness at all.
  • Anne Sorrentino 2 years ago
    I think it would drive me crazy on an everyday basis. But I do want to experience a little of it.
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  • effesessantasei 2 years ago
    Congrats, well done!
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks :)
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  • Carlos Gutiérrez 2 years ago
    Thanks for giving us this miracle, a greeting from Spain
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  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Its been a pleasure.. thanks Cargutro :)
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  • RaceFox 2 years ago
    That's really nicely put together. Having done my first rubbish quality time lapse today using built in iSight camera and Gawker software I can barely comprehend the work that went into this. I really like the buildings and fences in the bottom of the frames too - they worked out to your advantage I think. Well done.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    I dunno what Gawker and iSight are but it sounds cool.. thanks for commenting, glad you liked the fences :)
  • RaceFox 2 years ago
    iSight is the little built in camera in the lid of the Macbook lap top and Gawker is a program that you set up to do all the work for you - it takes the pictures at times and frames you specify and puts it together.
    What did you use to join your pics for the movie as I'd like to try a better quality one with my DSLR
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    I used a fantastic little free program called VirtualDub. Here is a howto: tinyurl.com/dmlpzk
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  • HDtimelapse.net 2 years ago
    Amazing!!!
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks :D
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  • penelope 2 years ago
    Love this, it now in my bucket list to see this amazing sight for myself. How cold does it get, (from Australia here and only seen snow a few times in my life LOL). Keep up the great work.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Actually this place (Andøya) doesnt get too cold, it varies from about -8 to +15 all year around I think, but its the wind that kill you. It comes from the sea, being cooled and it hit us directly. This place is incredible flat so the wind has been the biggest problem. Hehe. This wind made me almost go into a depression. ;)
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  • FrostSTeeL 2 years ago
    may i ask what camera are you using?
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Canon 350D and Canon 40D. Lenses used are the kit lens for the 350D and a Sigma 10-20mm mostly
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  • FrostSTeeL 2 years ago
    Thanks for a fast reply :) i wonder if i can achieve those sky details with my D80 now :D
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    For sure, D80 is a good camera. But the most important addon I had for making this video was a wired remote control that could lock the shutterbutton down. Then I set camera to do from 8-13 seconds exposure, lock down the shutter and the camera takes a serie of pics until the battery die..
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  • Evan Freedman 2 years ago
    I don't know what's more haunting- the aurora, or seeing the stars rotate behind them. Beautiful.
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  • Ann Perry 2 years ago
    Absolutely haunting. I must visit Norway. Thank you for all the work you put into this.
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  • →Zac Boyet← 2 years ago
    Wonderful man! What a cool thing to time lapse. I bet this one was fun to film.
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  • Dan Valentine plus 2 years ago
    Incredible and beautiful work.
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  • Ky 2 years ago
    just signed on and went directly to the auroras. I am so intrigued by this phenomena. The still you selected was perfect to get my attention. You are lucky to be able to experience this light show in person. Perhaps this is your reward for living in a place that can bring you to depression at times. Keep sharing, its beautiful. Thanks.
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  • oyvinto 2 years ago
    Det her blei jo bare jævli bra. Skulle ønske vi hadde litt (mer) aurora her i sør også.
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  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks for all the comments, I really appriciate it alot! :)
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  • Mindrelic plus 2 years ago
    this blew my mind! absolutely stunning stuff man.

    and if this is a "non-active" season for the lights, i'd love to see what you would call active. :)
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks man :) Yeah same here, its one of the reasons I want to stay in the north! And you can also see why I want a rotating tripod, huh? :D
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  • Tim Adams 2 years ago
    Absolutely outstanding work. Your hard work and commitment brings wonders like these to parts of the world that don't get the opportunity to see the lights. I for one will be making a trip to Norway in the near future.

    Thanks man.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks yourself :)

    Yes come, you are welcome here
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  • Nancy Hosticka 2 years ago
    vakkert. I will send it on to my best friends.
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks :)
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  • Cynthia Holladay 2 years ago
    Awesome -- many thanks for composing this and sharing
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Thanks.. I had fun doing it!
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  • wild harmony 2 years ago
    this is breathtaking!
    i´ve seen them in my dreams, but never while awake...

    i missed them while in iceland, maybe going to norway will do it :D

    takk!!!!
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  • Ian plus 2 years ago
    Absolutely stunning!
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  • Spencer Black 2 years ago
    Incredible auroras! I'm dying to see some of these myself.
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  • Euan Preston 2 years ago
    Amazing. 02:00 is incredible!
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  • Laurie Novak 2 years ago
    I just love this video!! A+++!! It's stunning! I can't stop thinking about it and the music is awesome, too!
    Love it all!
  • Terje Nesthus 2 years ago
    Yes I spent a long time finding music on jamendo, and when I found this song I was certain it was the right one. Thanks for the comment, glad you like it! :)
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  • Dommy Hammond 2 years ago
    amazing
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  • gerard planes 2 years ago
    Extraordinary video. Really! Keep on doing time-lapses like this. By the way, how often can you see auroras in the sky? Like, how many times in 10 days? And what's the best epoque in the year to come? Thanks!
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  • Dave P plus 2 years ago
    I'm planning a trip to Tromso to try and see them around March 14th, the equinox is on the 20th and I hear near the equinox is the best time!
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  • Maurice Toet 1 year ago
    What a pleasure to watch. Very nice work!
    Best regards,
    Maurice
    dutchdeepsky.com
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  • Delighters 1 year ago
    Wow, amazing work, thank you Terje. I saw the Aurora at Tromso that winter... And I stopped feeling the cold, i felt time stopped, that life is amazing and it worth living every moment of it, that magic happens..
    Your timelaps gave back the same feeling. Excellent work, thank you so much for it! (And good choice of music by the way... Perfect.)
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  • caevans61 2 months ago
    We get some beautiful Aurora here in Northern Canada (Lat +53.3), but not as often as you at Lat 69.3!! Simply Fabulous! Thanks
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