A Bitterroot Night to Remember
On a cool summer night just outside Hamilton, Montana, near the Goat Mountain trailhead, I set up my Canon R5 and L-series 15–35mm lens to try and capture something I’d only hoped for — a clear Milky Way over the Bitterroot Valley. What I didn’t expect was the ghostly green aurora dancing on the horizon, a rare treat in this part of the country, made possible by a powerful solar storm.
This image was taken at 16mm, f/2.8, ISO 6400, with a 13-second exposure. At that exposure length, you’ll notice subtle star trails — a reminder of Earth’s rotation during longer captures. The longer exposure allow me to bring more of the green solar storm hue into the image as it was fairly faint against the hazy sky.
The green hue you see is not an artifact — it’s an enhanced but real aurora caused by multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) during this period. NOAA had issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for July 31st into August 1st, 2024. We were lucky — wildfires in Canada and Idaho had threatened to obscure the skies, but for one night, the winds were favorable!
The Bitterroot Valley: A Place of Deep Roots and Open Skies
In modern times, the valley has become a sanctuary for those seeking unspoiled views of the night sky. Its relative remoteness and low light pollution offer rare opportunities for stargazing and astrophotography. I hope to explore more foreground options on my 2025 visit.
Planning the Shot: Luck + Intention
Photography, especially of the night sky, is a mix of being in the right place at the right time — and knowing how to plan for that moment. I’ve recently been learning to use the PhotoPills app, which helps forecast the Milky Way’s position, moon phases, and potential visibility based on time and location. That planning paid off, as August is when the galactic core of the Milky Way arcs prominently across Montana’s summer sky, tilted almost vertically just after nightfall. For next year’s trip, I will be well prepared to improve the foreground element positioning, lets just hope we get another solar storm!
But nothing’s guaranteed. Fires, weather, and solar activity are all variables beyond our control. Still, you can increase your odds with research, timing, and a healthy dose of patience.
Looking Ahead: Sharper Stars with MSM Nomad
I’ve recently added the MSM Nomad star tracker , an affordable simple to use tracker, to my toolkit. The lightweight device counteracts Earth’s rotation, allowing for longer exposures with pinpoint stars. It does require some user fine tuning and alignment with polaris, the north star, all of which I am still learning! The tracker will allow me to extend exposure time to several minutes improving signal to noise on the sensor. On future outings, I plan to use this tracker to reduce motion blur and pull in even more detail from the galactic core, while also blending exposures to retain natural foreground elements.
Neal Hatch Photography 