Schedule

The Aurora Summit offers a weekend packed with activities related to the Northern Lights, Astrophotography and the Night Sky.

Meet our presenters and speakers for the next Aurora Summit on the Event page!

Welcome to Aurora Summit 25

The annual Aurora Summit is a weekend-long event that begins with events and dinner on Friday evening, followed by a full day of sessions on Saturday, and programming Sunday morning through about noon. The grand prize of the convention will be given out no later than 12:30 pm Sunday. Those interested in photography workshops may opt in to attend a full day of hands-on photography clinics on the prior Friday during the pre-conference program.

Find the Schedule Below:

Aurora Summit 25: Conference Schedule

The conference schedule for Aurora Summit 25 is taking shape below. Any updates to the schedule will be posted here.

Activities and times may be subject to change.

AURORA SUMMIT 25
Friday, Nov. 7 — Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025
Legendary Waters Resort: Event Center
Red Cliff, Wisconsin, USA

PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAM
AS25 Photography Bootcamp
9:00 am-4:30 pm, Friday, November 7

Breakfast on your own
9:00 am – Noon: Morning Sessions
Break for lunch (included)
1:30 – 4:30 pm: Afternoon Sessions, including Small Group Support 3:45-4:30 pm
5pm: Official conference program begins, Dinner at 7pm (included)

To view the full pre-conference program schedule, visit: TheAuroraSummit.com/Bootcamp

AURORA SUMMIT 25: OFFICIAL PROGRAM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7

4-7 pm: Registration opens, Legendary Waters Resort: Event Center

4 pm: Cash Bar Opens

4:15 pm: Aurora Chasers Atlas! Find Travel Companions

5:00 pm: Meet and Greet; Ice-Breaker: The Aurora Shuffle!
(This informal programming will take place as guests arrive)

Ice-Breaker: The Aurora Shuffle!
Play the Aurora Shuffle! 1) Visit the welcome table to draw three cards about Aurora; 2) Stroll through the crowd to find three new cards that describe your experience in Aurora Chasing; 3) Swap out your cards with other Aurora Chasers, until you have one card of each color; 4) Be one of the first to achieve the goal, and return to the welcome table to win a small prize!

7 pm: Welcome, Dinner (Included)

8 pm: Aurora Chasing Panel Discussion
Get into the spirit for an adventurous weekend with a discussion of all things Aurora Chasing! This is not your average panel discussion. We’ll talk cameras, forecasting, and things that go bump in the night, while we laugh, plan and imagine the possibilities together!

Panelists:
• Dan Zafra
• Stephanie Bailey
• Vincent Ledvina
• Alexandra Khoshaba
Moderated by Dixie Burbank

9:30 pm: Aurora Photography Hands-On Clinic, with Marc Rassel & Others

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8

8:00 am: Hot Breakfast (included)

Breakout Sessions

9-9:45 am: Session I
Full Session Option
• “From Auroras to Meteors: Capturing the Night’s Rarest Spectacles,” with Jeff Pfaller (B)
9-9:30 am:  Lighting Round A
• Capturing aurora on camera around the world, with Dixie J. Burbank (I)
9:30-9:45 am: Lightning Round B
• “From Scottish Kilts to Torches & Valhalla: Aurora in Legend,” with Melissa F. Kaelin (B)

10-10:45 am: Session II
• “Scouting Locations in a Life-Changing Pursuit,” with Zenderfull, aka Samer Hobeika (B)
• “Stars in My Eyes: Composing and Shooting Powerful Aurora Photos,” with Aubrieta Hope (A)

11-11:45 am: Session III
• “Space Weather Forecasting 101: How the Sun and Its Phenomena Lead to Aurora and Affect Our Daily Lives,” with Steve Luther (B)
• “Shooting and Processing Aurora Time-lapse”, with Marc Rassel (A)

Noon -2:00 pm: Lunch (Included)

2:00 pm: Session IV: Full Group Session
“What is an Auroral Substorm & How Can You Forecast One?”, with Vincent Ledvina (I)

3:00 pm: Session V: Full Group Session
“Dancing Lights and Chasing Dreams: Canadian Stories and Perspectives Under the Aurora”, with C.K. Nights (A)

4:00 pm: Panel Discussion
“Life Under the Lights” — Listen to life-changing stories and personal accounts of the Aurora, witnessing record-breaking storms, the motions involved in catching the Northern Lights, and how it has changed these panelists from the inside, out. Panelists to be announced!

Panelists:
• Sam Hobeika “Zenderfull” 
• Steve Luther
• Heidi Evers
• Kim Lifton
Moderated by Melissa Kaelin 

5:00 pm: Group Photo, immediately following panel discussion

6:00 pm: Cash Bar Opens

6:30 pm: Dinner (included) and Aurora Summit Slideshow

7:30 pm: Keynote Speaker Dan Zafra, Creator of Capture the Atlas

9:30 pm: Hands-On Photography Clinic, with Marc Rassel and Others

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20

8am: Hot Breakfast (Included)

9am: Special Program on History of Solar Storms & Solar Cycle 25, Featuring Bob King, Author of “Magnificent Aurora: Your complete guide to nature’s greatest light show”

10am: Special Program, “Aurora Tourism: The North’s Most Unique Lights-Chasing Experiences,” Featuring Stephanie Vermillion, Author of “100 Nights of a Lifetime” from National Geographic

11am: Aurora Jeopardy! Trivia

11:55am: Raffle & Prizes, including Grand Prize of an Alaska Northern Lights Trip from Cosmic Chaos Adventures, conditions apply, must be present to win

12:15pm: Farewell

12:30pm: Lunch on your own

All activities take place at the host venue at the Event Center, Legendary Waters Resort, located on Lake Superior’s shore in Red Cliff, Wisconsin, USA

Check out our Events page to learn about the presenters!

Educational Sessions

List coming soon!

Do you have more questions? Get answers with the FAQ

More Aurora Summit News

To find out what topics will be offered at the upcoming conference, check back for updates on this page or get conference news on Facebook or Twitter.

To get a sense of what may be offered, you can also view the complete history of the conference program in the Archives.