The brightly colored displays of the Northern Lights – or aurora borealis – are best known as a fantastic phenomenon of the far north, common in Alaska and Canada, but an exhibition of aurora images opening at the University’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History will also showcase the nearly-unknown Oregon equivalent.
Large-format prints of the aurora borealis by Eugene-based photographer John Flinn, will go on display Wednesday on campus. The exhibit of 14 color prints is entitled “Northern Lights-Luminous Emissaries from the Arctic Skies.”
Museum Exhibitions Coordinator Cindi Budlong said the exhibit is a “fabulous” visual example of night photography and is sure to stir interest because of the local images.
“A lot of people don’t even know we have aurora. It’s elusive,” Budlong said.
Auroras occur when solar particles collide with gas molecules in the earth’s atmosphere and can light up the Oregon sky as many as 10 times per year, according to the museum. The best time to experience the auroras and to view meteor showers because of the crisp clear weather is between August and October. The strongest showers occur during the autumnal equinox in late September.
Flinn will discuss night photography techniques with museum visitors and will show a slide presentation during the exhibit’s reception Aug. 18 at 5 p.m..
Flinn has been collecting images of the aurora borealis for more than 15 years. He says his artistic goal is “to make visible for others the nearly-invisible, fleeting movements of transcendent beauty that occur in nature.”
The exhibit runs through Feb. 25. Framed prints of Flinn’s work are available at the museum store. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays except major holidays. Admission is $3 for adults; $2 for seniors and youths ages 18 and under; and $8 for families (two adults and up to four youths). Museum members and university faculty, staff and students are admitted free. For more information, call the museum, (541) 346-3024.
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