The Aurora Summit wouldn’t be the amazing event it has become without the talents of our speakers! Scroll down to learn more. You’ll find a list of presentations and a variety of free downloads.
On Facebook? Check out the Open Call for Submissions, which we posted in 2020. For more information, email AuroraSummitMN@gmail.com.
Thank You to Our Sponsors!
We are grateful for the support of our sponsors, who contributed to make this annual conference even better. Please help us thank these Aurora Summit 19 sponsors by visiting the links!
• NightScaper and the NightScaper Conference
• PlanIt for Photographers
• Root River Photography
• Spencer’s Camera & Photo
• LRTimelapse
• Host Mike Shaw Photography
The last Aurora Summit was a huge success! Check back soon! We’ll upload presentations as they become available.
Aurora Summit 19 Sessions
Slides from the Aurora Summit
• Official Aurora Summit 2019 Presentation
Session I
• Aurora Forecasting for Beginners, with Bob King (B)
• Essentials for Aurora Photography, with Christy Turner (B)
• Shooting the Milky Way, with Mark Ellis (I)
Session II
• Discovering STEVE, with Chris Ratzlaff (B)
• Astrophotography with Equatorial Trackers, with Paul Nelson (I)
• Deep Freeze Photography: Tips for Subzero Shooting, with Amber Nichols (B)
Session III
• Know Your Sky, Know What to Shoot, with Bob King (B)
• Night Sky Composites and Blends: A How-to Guide, with Mike Shaw (A)
• Smartphone Astrophotography, with Christian Harris (B)
Session IV
• Mysteries of the Solar Wind Revealed, with Christian Harris
• Intro to Time Lapse Capture & Editing, with Mark Ellis (I)
• Urban Legends of Space: Astro Science v. Pseudoscience, with Bob King (B)
Session V
• Secrets of the Goddess of the Dawn: Aurora Myth & Legend, with Melissa F. Kaelin (B)
• Deep Sky Photography, with Matthew Moses (A)
• The Light Painting Toolbox, with Roger Feldhans (B)
Session VI
• NASA’s Spectra Lens and the Sub Auroral Arc, with Christy Turner (I)
• Post Processing Night Sky Photos, with Matthew Moses (I)
• Phenomenal Light Painting, with Jamie Rabold (I)
Sunday
• Aurora Chasing Travelogue, with Dixie J. Burbank
Recap: Aurora Summit 18 Sessions
For a full description of past events at the Aurora Summit, visit the Archives.
Session I
Basics for Night Sky Photography (B), with Terry Mann
From Apps to Kp: Aurora Forecasting for Beginners (B), with Bob King
10 Keys to Gain a Social Media Following (I), with Jerry Thoreson
Session II
Essential Software and Apps for Aurora Chasers and Photographers (B), with Michael Jordan
Aurora Culture and Mythology (B), with Jim Rock
The Juno Mission and Jupiter’s Aurora (B), with Dave Falkner
Session III
Aurora Borealis: A Photographer’s Guide to Geomagnetic Midnight (I), with Michael Jordan
Meet STEVE: The Aurora Getting All the Attention (I), with Bob King
Aurora from Satellites Above and Photographers Below (I), with Margaret Mooney
Session IV
Deep-Sky with Your D-SLR: Getting the Right Camera Gear (I), with Mike Shaw
No Aurora Yet? Camera Techniques to Capture Elusive Light (A), with Terry Mann
Establishing an International Dark Sky Park (B), with Mary Stewart Adams
Travelogue
Travelogue Presentation, with Alaska Adventures and Dixie J. Burbank
Panelists, Presenters and Sponsors
Thank you to our incredible panelists, presenters and sponsors! Without you, the Aurora Summit would not be the phenomenal event it has become.
Aurora Summit 19
- Keynote Speaker Chris Ratzlaff, Presenter & Panelist, Admin of the Albert Aurora Chasers and Phenomenal STEVE
- Christy Turner, Presenter & Panelist, Internationally-commissioned Travel and Published Researcher
- Bob King, Presenter, of Astro Bob’s Astronomy for Everyone and Author of three books including Wonders of the Night Sky You Must See Before You Die and “Urban Legends of Space”
- Royce Bair, Panelist and Sponsor, Founder of NightScaper
- Brian Murphy Slattum, Panelist, Founder of Upper Midwest Aurora Chasers
- Christian Harris, Presenter & Panelist, Founder and Admin of Space Weather Trackers
- Roger D. Feldhans, Presenter, Light Painter
- Mark Ellis, Presenter, Photographer
- Matthew Moses, Presenter, Freelance Photographer
- Amber Nichols, Presenter, Admin of Frozen Photographers and president of the Duluth Superior Camera Club
- Paul Nelson, Presenter, Astrophotographer
- Jamie Rabold, Presenter, Admin of Frozen Photographers
The panel discussion included: - Jackie LaPointe, Panelist, World traveler and night sky photographer
- Dixie J. Burbank, Travelogue Presenter, Dixie J Digital
- Melissa F. Kaelin, Presenter, Melissa F. Kaelin Art
- Mike Shaw, Presenter, Mike Shaw Photography
Aurora Summit 2018
- Keynote Speaker Mary Stewart Adams, Presenter, Host of The Storyteller’s Night Sky and Founder of Headlands International Dark Sky Park
- Dave Falkner, Presenter, NASA Solar System Ambassador
- Michael Jordon, Presenter, Pilgrimage Photography
- Bob Kelley, Presenter and Panelist, Retired Planetarium Director of Scobee Planetarium
- Bob King, Presenter and Panelist, of Astro Bob’s Astronomy for Everyone and Author of Wonders of the Night Sky You Must See Before You Die
- Terry Mann, Presenter and Panelist, Dark Sky Activist and Photographer at ElusiveLightImages.com
- Margaret Mooney, Presenter, of the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS)
- Jim Rock, Presenter, Program Director at the Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium
- Jerry Thoreson, Presenter, of Destination Duluth
- Jessica Kowalke, Panelist, Admin of Upper Midwest Aurora Chasers
- Dixie J. Burbank, Travelogue Presenter, Dixie J Digital
Aurora Summit 2017
- Keynote Speaker Bob King, of Astro Bob’s Astronomy for Everyone
Author of Night Sky With the Naked Eye - Heidi Pinkerton, Presenter and Sponsor, Root River Photography
- Matthew Moses, Presenter, Matthew Moses Photography
- Jamie Rabold, Presenter, Admin of Frozen Photographers, Willowmaker Images
- Amber Nichols, Presenter, Amber’s Impressions Photography
- Kirk Schleife, Presenter
- Les Conrad, Presenter, Les Conrad Photography
- Melissa F. Kaelin, Presenter and Panelist, Melissa F. Kaelin Art
- Bob Conzemius, Presenter and Panelist, TornadoBob.com
- Dixie J. Burbank, Travelogue Presenter, Dixie J Digital
- Mike Shaw, Presenter, Mike Shaw Photography
Author of The Complete Guide to Landscape Astrophotography - Richard Hoeg, Panelist, 365 Days of Birds,
Admin of Northern Lights | Lake Superior Region - Bonnie Tiedt, Panelist
- Michael Jordan, Panelist, Pilgrimage Photography
Thanks also to Destination Duluth, Minnesota Exposure, Frozen Photographers, the Upper Midwest Aurora Chasers and many other groups for their support of our first event!
Resources for Presenters
If you are presenting at the Aurora Summit, below are some resources you may find helpful. Please feel free to include the graphic in your PowerPoint and make good use of any other resources you need.