O Northern Lights, Where Art Thou?

Aurora borealis, Jordan NY,
Veteran’s Memorial Pool, 2006

Oh, the bitter irony.

Rain drums against the roof as I write. Allegedly, fifty miles above my head the second wave of a massive solar flair supercharges particles, creating luminescence. I last observed the aurora borealis in 2006 in Jordan, NY. Clouds have obscured every aurora since. Can you believe? Uncanny. Cruel, even.
As we enter a solar maximum I am hopeful for a cycle so dramatic we are given opportunity after opportunity to view aurora throughout the spring (a tiny apology to power and telecom companies whose networks may be adversely impacted).
Veteran’s Memorial Pool
Jordan NY, 2006

When my daughter was too young to mind our crazy we snuggled her into a sleeping bag in the back of the Jeep and chased the aurora (and the moon and Saturn and whatever else there was to see) until far into the night. She’d sleep; we’d chase; photograph; drag out the telescope; watch. There were times I wanted to pound on people’s doors and shout “Wake up in there! It’s happening in the sky and you’re missing the whole thing!” 

Now that she’s taking a photography class in high school there’s a chance the kid could be persuaded to schlep along with us again on our quest for dramatic borealis flair.
Fingers firmly crossed. We are entering the magic of a solar maximun after all.
Previous Post Next Post

No Comments

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.