Northern Lights

We were blessed with an evening of glorious Aurora Borealis this month. It wasn't the first time we'd witnessed this amazing natural phenomena, but it sure was the best we'd seen this far south in central Minnesota. The incredible light show was visible in Connecticut, Florida, and all over the southern United States. It was spectacular!

My first encounter with a glowing sky was in the 1990s. I was working nights and saw a red light in the distance on my drive home. I thought it was a police event and woke Dave to tell him all about it. From my description, he was certain that I had seen Northern lights. 

We were lucky to witness the Aurora when we had a slip at Knife River Marina, north of Duluth, MN. That viewing was very active with green and white colors that pulsed and danced across the northern sky. We sat on the rocks at the beach and watched, unable to take our eyes away. 

We happened to be in White Bar Lake visiting our friends Scott and Mary, during the most recent explosion! Mary received a bunch of notifications on her phone. Her daughter was sending cell phone images of the sky at her home nearby; glorious images of Northern Lights that streamed from one end to the other. We went outside and were rewarded with vibrant colors of red, purple, green and white. The streets were dotted with neighbors all holding their phones up and whispering in excitement as the colors and movement constantly changed! 

On our way home, we stopped at Otto Berg Park, on the north end of Stillwater, where it was dark with very little ambient light. The parking lot was buzzing with cars and folks were walking into the pitch black park to get a better view. It seemed like the entire town woke up and came out to share in natures beautiful gift. Dave and I laid down in the grass and enjoyed the show until the wind and chill chased us back to the warmth of our car.

Northern Lights are magnetic, in origin as well as in attraction. They rate up there with meteor showers and phosphorescents. We never tire of viewing the natural expressions of beauty that they deliver. This particular show was special because it was visible with the naked eye all over the United States.