Photographing noctilucent clouds

Monday 24 June 2024, 16:16 by Nando Harmsen | 2,250 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Noctilucent clouds are relatively rare, although they are being seen more often. They often become visible one to two hours after sunset, around June and July. On the night of 23 to 24 June 2024, I finally photographed them again.

Noctilucent clouds, abbreviated to NLC, are thin and invisible. They hang so high in the sky that they become visible one to two hours after sunset when sunlight shines on them. This makes them appear to give off light.

The sensational NLCs in 2019
They show ripples and move slowly. This gives them a ghostly appearance. It is difficult or even impossible to predict them with certainty, although special (online) radar images provide a good indication.

I have photographed them several times. The first time was back in 2015, before most people had heard of them. The most sensational appearance I have seen was in 2019. That was a moment I will never forget.

The last time I saw them was in 2021, which was already a few years ago. Until the night of 23 to 24 June 2024. That was the moment to head out again. Unfortunately, it was less spectacular than I had hoped, and after one to one and a half hours they had already disappeared.

One hour and forty-five minutes after sunset, low in the northern sky.
Noctilucent clouds are easy to photograph. It is a matter of setting the exposure correctly. Pay some attention to any foreground lighting, if there is any. You do not want blown-out white areas in the photo.

Keep the shutter speed around five seconds, ten at most. This makes the ripple patterns in the clouds visible in the photo as well. If you make the shutter speed too long, everything becomes blurred by the movement of the clouds.

The peak of the NLC visibility.

The peak of the NLC visibility.

Unfortunately, the NLCs slowly disappeared. This was still visible at midnight.

Normally an excellent viewpoint for NLCs, but not now.

The last remnants of NLCs, faintly visible at around half past midnight.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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