Why have the northern lights been so visible lately?

A question I've gotten a lot recently, especially with all the photos I've been posting of them.

Three occourances this year, May, August and October there were opportunities to capture them. 

So why is this year so special for northern lights? One reason is we’re in the midst of solar cycle 25. And the sun has been super active. The solar activity undergoes an 11 year cycle and this particular solar cycle has been stronger than usual. It's something about 50% higher than the predicted values at this point. So there's been a lot more solar activity.
Other factors that come into play is, the sun will shoot out these blobs of plasma in all different directions. And of course, only when it hits the Earth does it affect us and causes aurora. So in a sense, there's a matter of luck where we've been in line to catch some of these CMEs, and they hit the Earth to make our auroras.
It turns out this solar cycle has been very good at producing auroras visible over our area. Also the weather has been pretty good. The atmospheric weather in the previous solar cycle of about 11 years ago, there was quite a bit of magnetic activity, but it seemed like it was a cloudy day every time.

Another question I get is why so much color in my photographs? Cameras capture more vibrant photos of the Northern Lights than what the human eye can see because camera sensors can gather more light and color detail in low-light conditions than the human eye, which primarily uses "rod" cells in darkness, resulting in a less colorful perception; (inside the human eye, there are two types of cells used for seeing. The “cone” cells are sensitive to color but need plenty of light in order to function, whereas the “rods” cells are sensitive to low light levels but cannot distinguish color. Essentially, cameras can capture a wider range of light wavelengths and build up an image over a longer exposure time, revealing the full spectrum of colors in the aurora that might appear muted to the naked eye. Especially when on a tripod, and using a time exposure, leaving the shutter open for 10 to 15 seconds to capture more chroma on the sensor.

It sure has been an amazing year to Aurora photos!

Aurora Aurora Aurora Aurora