A Maine Boat Captain Took These Photos of the Northern Lights

When Amanda Bracy learned that the Northern Lights would light up the Maine sky earlier this week, she was determined to capture the rare spectacle.

The boat’s captain spent the night at Cranberry Isles, near Acadia National Park, and her kaleidoscopic photos have impressed tens of thousands of people online.

Bracy, originally from Cranberry Isles, posted her photos on the Maine Aurora Borealis Watch Facebook page. The photos have received more than 35,000 likes, 2,000 comments and 5,500 shares.

The northern lights are known as “the holy grail of skywatching,” according to Space.com. The phenomenon was visible in parts of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island from Sunday night into early Monday morning.

This was Bracy’s third time capturing the Northern Lights with her camera, and she took the photos at the harbor this time for the benefit of the reflection.

“We could actually see it with our eyes, which I’ve never seen here,” she said.

There was another aurora borealis in Maine in May, but Bracy said it wasn’t as bright and she didn’t see it for very long because of clouds.

“I’ve never seen it like that,” Bracy said of this week’s display. “It was mind-blowing. It was just me and one other person there and I was like, ‘Do you see this?’ You could clearly see all the colors: blue, green, red, orange. It was pretty crazy.”

Photography is a hobby for Bracy, who is particularly interested in night photography and taking pictures of the Milky Way.

“There’s something special about the night sky,” she said. “It’s a challenge, so it’s fun.”

Bracy said she used a Sony A6700 with a Sigma 16mm lens and also took some photos with her iPhone.

“But I was so excited that I couldn’t hold my iPhone still enough,” she said. “It’s really hard to hold something that still for 10 seconds. It doesn’t seem like a long time, but it is.”

For those aspiring to capture the northern lights with an iPhone, Bracy recommends using night mode and bringing a tripod.

And of course, choose a great spot for observing.

“From our town dock, we can look out over all of Acadia National Park,” Bracy said. “We have one of the best views in the house, you could say.”

Below, check out some photos of the Northern Lights taken by Bracy.