Edit
To provide some context given the messages below. I was a professional photographer, and understand that getting a good photo is a skill. Exposure time, timing, location, and many other factors come into play when capturing a great image.
Seeing the aurora was a fantastic experience. The purpose of this post is to help reduce FOMO of those who could not see it. Many people who don’t know these things will imagine dancing lights in the sky of brilliance, and will be saddened by what they missed. While they did miss something, it’s important for them to know exactly what they missed.
Edit2 I should also note this is why I enjoy when photographers post gear, conditions, and settings alongside results. It tells viewers what was real.
I can barely see it with the naked eye, but my night sight android camera makes it bright reddish.
Some posters will have modified the image but not all.
Yeah I took a couple shots last night with my S21 Ultra and it just made the sky look like the old default wallpaper from like Mac OS X
As a Samsung user I would expect a moon up on that night sky.
The sky looked all hues of purple and pink here. The android night Camera took a 3 second lapse and it was much more like the ops picture.
Tldr. Long exposure makes it look cooler (like everything at night). The pictures will always look more impressive, but that doesn’t mean the lights aren’t still visible and awe inspiring.