Saskatchewan astrophotographer and aurora chaser becoming nationally-known

Jeanine Holowatuik, from Hudson Bay, Sask., has quickly become an expert on aurora chasing and astrophotography and recently took over the Saskatchewan Wanderer for a week.  

Holowatuik said she was approached by the current full-time Saskatchewanderer, Andrew Hiltz.  “I was honoured to be asked and included in such a great tourism project for Saskatchewan.” Her responsibilities included creating a week’s worth of content, to showcase how beautiful the night sky is in Saskatchewan. 

Holowatuik was also recently asked to provide an aurora presentation in Alberta by the Calgary Royal Astronomical Society (RASC). Holowatuik was brought in to present at the Telus Spark Infinity Dome on Oct. 17. “The venue was absolutely incredible with a huge dome to project my aurora videos and photos,” said Holowatuik. 

The event was put on by the Telus Spark and Calgary RASC group. Holowatuik’s presentation, “There is No Aurora Season: Chasing the Northern Lights all Year in The Canadian Prairies,” highlighted how and why the Canadian prairies are the best place to view the northern lights. 

Holowatuik also attended a pilot project in September in Bamfield, B.C. She was one of the presenters for the three-day event called, “Three Stars Dark Sky.” This is a new event the Huu-ay-aht First Nation hopes to host annually to celebrate the dark skies and bring people together Holowatuik said.  

“Much like the Jasper dark sky festival that I have been involved with for the past three years, I presented on capturing the wonders of the night and ways we are at risk of losing our night sky.”

One of Holowwatuik’s aurora photos was also selected as the cover photo for the RASC national calendar as the feature.  

Holowatuik said she has been taking astrophotography photos almost 10 years ago. She established her photography business in 2017 after deciding she wanted to share what she was seeing and capturing with others.

 “I fell in love with capturing the night sky and taught myself how to do it through countless hours and nights out practicing. I’ve always been focused on the northern lights as my main subject.” 

During the fall and spring equinox, there are changes in the Earth’s magnetic sphere that can allow in more energy from the sun, which produces the northern lights Holowatuik said. “It’s not a guarantee but this time of year can have more large shows. During the winter there are more hours of darkness and therefore more chances to catch a show. We are currently at a solar maximum on an 11-year cycle, so we are seeing bigger and stronger shows as a result of the increase in activity on the sun. This can last another couple of years as we head toward the next solar minimum.”  

Holowatuik is a member of the RASC & Dark Sky International which are two important organizations for protecting the night sky both in Canada and around the world.

To find out more on Holowatuik’s aurora chasing and astrophotography, click  HERE. She will be also hosting an aurora photography and space weather workshop in Hudson Bay, Sask. in March.  

This story was originally published in the Humboldt Journal. It is republished under a Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.