Events

You’re invited to The Aurora Summit: Celebrating the Art, Culture, Science, and Photography of the Aurora Borealis! This event brings Aurora enthusiasts in the mid-latitudes together each year for a weekend workshop in the U.S.

You don’t have to be a scientist or a photographer to attend. We offer beginning, intermediate, and advanced sessions. Many of our guests are trying to view the Northern Lights for the first time!

View our pre-conference program: Aurora Summit 22 Photography Bootcamp

AS22 Explainer Cover

Aurora Summit 22

We’re thrilled to bring you a new and expanded Aurora Summit 22! The annual conference will be held in person in the fall. Watch this page for updates!

During Aurora Summit 22, we will feature Keynote Speaker Dr. Tamitha Skov, as well as many new presenters!

We’re excited to share that the conference will feature the following presenters:

Vincent Ledvina, Space Weather Scholar who developed the North Dakota Dual Aurora Camera with Aurorasaurus
Jeanine Holowatuik, Northern Escape Photography
John ONeal NC Stargazer, NASA Solar System Ambassador, author, solar imager and admin of SOLARACTIVITY
Bob King, Author and Blogger at Astro Bob’s Astronomy for Everyone
Justin Anderson, Admin of Manitoba Aurora and Astronomy and Aurorasaurus Ambassador
Anna Martineau Merritt, Misty Pine Photography and Crafts, Native American Studies expert and member of Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Indians
Steve Luther, SkyVista Photography by Steve Luther and International Educator
Marybeth Kiczenski, Shelbydiamondstar Photography
Dave Falkner, NASA Solar System Ambassador, author and Minnesota Astronomical Society member
• Melonie Elvebak, Astrophotographer and Aurora Chaser

The Aurora Chasing panel on Friday evening will feature:

• Dr. Tamitha Skov, Credentialed Solar Plasma Physicist known as Space Weather Woman
• Christian Harris, Founder of Space Weather Trackers
• Marybeth Kiczenski, Michigan Aurora Chasers Admin
• Justin Anderson, Manitoba Aurora and Astronomy Admin

Aurora Summit 22
Date:
Friday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022
— WITH OPTIONAL PRE-CONFERENCE BOOTCAMP ON FRIDAY, NOV 4., 9AM-5PM —
Location: Legendary Waters Resort, Red Cliff, Wisconsin
Admission: $289 (plus fees)
Register: TheAuroraSummit.com
#AuroraSummit22
*Friday programming is optional, and you may want to stay Thursday night. The official conference will begin with check-in at 2pm Friday.
**Please Note: For the safety of our guests and people around the world, we will require vaccination for COVID to attend Aurora Summit 22. 

In 2022, the Aurora Summit will feature an optional full-day program preceding the conference, opening registration on Thursday evening with the optional add-on photography bootcamp running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday! The traditional conference will begin Friday afternoon with a full conference day on Saturday and special programs on Sunday morning. At an added cost, the pre-conference bootcamp will offer early arrivals the opportunity to attend photography clinics, hands-on demonstrations, and small group workshops.

For discounted rates at the host hotel, call and mention the Aurora Summit!
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/886028538571070

We’re planning a great weekend, featuring opportunities to hear from celebrities in the Aurora Chasing and Storm Chasing world, as well as scientists, photographers, artists, storytellers, astronomers and more. The event includes:

  • Featured Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tamitha Skov, Space Weather Woman
  • Educational Sessions
  • Night Sky Photography Clinics
  • Photography and Photo Editing Workshops
  • BYOL Light Painting
  • Panel Discussion
  • Travelogue
  • Swap Meet
  • Expert Roundtable for questions on Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus
  • Swag, Raffle Prizes & More

If we don’t see the Northern Lights and photograph it together at the Aurora Summit, you’ll leave knowing how to capture a good display on your own!

Aurora Summit: Photography Bootcamp

Instructor: Mike Shaw
Date:
Friday, Nov. 4, 2022
Time:
9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Meals:
Lunch included!
Cost:
$69, in addition to conference admission

AS22 Photography Bootcamp

New in 2022! Mark your calendars and join our host Mike Shaw Photography for a Pre-Conference Aurora Photography Bootcamp!!

This add-on is completely optional, and it will begin Friday morning before the conference opens. Those attending the bootcamp may want to check in on Thursday night. Bring your camera, lenses, tripods and trackers to get in gear for a weekend of astrophotography.

Get your camera dialed in for a weekend of aurora photography!

Morning Session
9 a.m. – Noon: Our hands-on photography clinic will show you the best camera and exposure settings for aurora photography, and how to manually focus and compose photos in the dark. Bring your camera, tripod and gear for plenty of practice.
Noon – 2 p.m.: Break for lunch (included)

Afternoon Session
2 p.m. – 5 p.m.:
Bring your laptop computer to learn how to edit your aurora photos in photo editing software. You’ll learn how to work with RAW images and edit for saturation, exposure and noise, among other things. 

With the Photography Bootcamp, you will learn the basics during the day, so that you’re ready to start shooting on the very first night of Aurora Summit 22!

Coming Soon! Check back to see the full Aurora Summit 22 Schedule.

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Aurora Summit 22

We’re excited to bring you Aurora Summit 22! The annual conference will be held in person in the fall. Watch this page for updates!

During Aurora Summit 22, we will feature Keynote Speaker Dr. Tamitha Skov, the credentialed space weather physicist known as Space Weather Woman! Aurora Summit 22 will take place at Legendary Waters Resort in Red Cliff, Wisconsin, just south of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore!

For discounted rates at the host hotel, call and mention the Aurora Summit!
RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/394755608794888

Aurora Summit 22
Date:
Friday, Nov. 4 – Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022
Plus an optional pre-conference day!
Location: Legendary Waters Resort, Red Cliff, Wisconsin
Admission: Coming soon! Includes all meals
Register: Launches in June
#AuroraSummit22

We’re planning a phenomenal weekend, featuring opportunities to hear from celebrities in the Aurora Chasing and Storm Chasing world, as well as scientists, photographers, artists, storytellers, astronomers and more. The event includes:

  • Featured Keynote Speaker
  • Educational Sessions
  • Night Sky Photography Clinics
  • Photography and Photo Editing Workshops
  • Panel Discussion
  • Travelogue
  • Swag, Raffle Prizes & More

If we don’t see the Northern Lights and photograph it together at the Aurora Summit, you’ll leave knowing how to capture a good display on your own!

Coming Soon! Check back to see the Conference Schedule.

Aurora Summit 22 Keynote Speaker

Our celebration of the Northern Lights will feature Dr. Tamitha Skov, the space weather physicist known as Space Weather Woman!

Skov is a credentialed space weather forecaster who has been helping the public understand the effects of space weather on our daily lives since 2013. She works primarily in the fields of solar and space physics research and in the testing of spacecraft materials in realistic space radiation environments. Her forecasting work as the “Space Weather Woman” is widely known on social media and she has been featured on several television shows for The Weather Channel and The History Channel. She has also been featured on CBS News, and in Popular Science Magazine and MIT Technology Review.

Thanks to social media like Twitter, Facebook, You Tube, TWiT TV, Instagram and Periscope, she has helped nurture a vibrant Space Weather community of 98,000+ people, and growing. These people range from astronauts and satellite operators, to civil and military auxiliary radio operators, GPS specialists, scientists, and of course, aurora photographers. As this community has grown, the people in it have become her extended family. She strives to keep everyone informed and connected to each other and to the spectacular events the Sun sends our way. She will present “The Rise and Relevance of Space Weather in the 21st Century.”

“The Rise and Relevance of Space Weather in the 21st Century”

From the disruption of satellite GPS signals to the beautiful light displays of the aurora, Space Weather has a multi-faceted impact on life on Earth. Although it remains an extremely difficult topic to convey, new modes of communicating online are making space weather information more accessible to the public. In return, the modern world’s need for timely and accurate information is driving more robust observation and forecasting efforts by academics and citizen scientists alike. Join me as we examine the rise of the Space Weather community in the 21st century. What solar phenomena affect our daily lives? What is driving the growth in awareness of space weather? Find the answers to these questions and discover what it means to the future of our society as we weather the rise of Solar Cycle 25.

Educational Sessions

The Aurora Summit 22 presentations include:

  • “The Fundamentals of Aurora Photography,” (B) with Jeanine Holowatuik
  • “What Is the Aurora, How Does it Happen and When Should I Look?” (B) with Bob King
  • “W.O.W. (Way Out in Washington): Aurora Chasing in the Pacific Northwest”, (B) with Steve Luther
  • “Taking Your Images Further: Using blending and tracking to create beautiful high definition photos,” (I) Marybeth Kiczenski
  • “Voyager and the Heliosphere,” (B) Dave Falkner
  • “From Northern Lights Newbie to Aurora Addict: My Journey and Roadmap to Successfully Capturing the Beautiful Borealis,” (B) Steve Luther
  • “How to Use a Star Tracker and What You Can Do,” (A) Melonie Elvebak
  • “The Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Orbiter and Space Weather Reporting,” (I) John ONeal NC Stargazer
  • “Native Culture: Introduction to Our Anishinaabe Culture and the Meaning of Place,” (B) Anna Martineau Merritt
  • Group Presentation by Vincent Ledvina:
    The Sun-Earth Connection: The Science and Processes behind the Northern Lights” (A)
    Vincent Ledvina
  • Group Presentation by Bob King:
    “Upcoming Celestial Events You Don’t Want to Miss,” (B) Bob King
  • Group Presentation by Justin Anderson:
    “Color in Lights: Chasing the Aurora Colorblind,” (I) Justin Anderson
  • Aurora Chasing Travelogue, with Dixie J. Burbank

B: Absolute Beginner
I: Intermediate
A: Advanced

Featured Presenters

We’re excited to announce the featured presenters for Aurora Summit 22! Follow our social media channels to learn more.

Aurora Summit 22 Presenters:

  • Keynote Speaker Dr. Tamitha Skov
  • More coming soon!

Featured Panelists

The panel discussion will include several experts.

Have a specific question? Check out the FAQ.


A Look Back at Past Events

Discover everything the Aurora Summit brings to the community! Learn about our past keynote speakers and featured presenters below and in the Archives.

Our Keynote Speakers

We’re honored and grateful to work with fantastic keynote speakers, inviting a new individual to speak every year. Many phenomenal people have contributed their talents to the main event at the Aurora Summit, during the Saturday evening banquet and the night sky photography shoot that follows.

Invited Keynote Speakers:

Our Featured Presenters

We’re excited to welcome so many outstanding presenters to the Aurora Summit! As our way of saying thank you, we share information from past presenters on the Resources page. To learn about past presentations, visit the Archives.

Every year, many outstanding ideas and proposals are entered for presentations at the Aurora Summit, using the submission process on our website. With so much talent in the room, we have to make some tough choices.

Follow our social media to find out who will present at the next Aurora Summit!

Past Events

In our inaugural year, we welcomed guests from more than eight states and provinces, including guests from as far as Georgia and Manitoba.

Our Inaugural Event!
Aurora Summit 17
Celebrating the Art, Culture, Science, and Photography of the Aurora Borealis

Friday, Oct. 27 – Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Register: AuroraSummit17.MikeShawPhotography.com (Closed)
#AuroraSummit17

Aurora Summit 18
Friday, Nov. 2 – Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Register: http://aurorasummit18.eventzilla.net/ (Closed)
#AuroraSummit18

Aurora Summit 19
Friday, Nov. 1 – Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019
The Washburn Inn & Harbor View Event Center
Washburn, Wisconsin
Register: https://aurorasummit19.eventzilla.net/ (Closed)
#AuroraSummit19

Aurora Summit 20
Friday, Sept. 25 – Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020
Washburn, Wisconsin
Postponed

Aurora Summit 21
Friday, Nov. 5 – Sunday, Nov. 7, 2019
The Washburn Inn & Harbor View Event Center
Washburn, Wisconsin
Register: https://aurorasummit21.eventzilla.net/ (Closed)
#AuroraSummit21

For more information about past events, visit the Archives.

Do you have more questions? Get answers with the FAQ.

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