I originally composed a post on this about a week and a half ago but about 30 seconds before I added it the connection reset and it was lost. Throwing my hands up I didn’t tackle it again, however recent comments (Hi bev) made me revisit it.
Occasionally people ask about the Northern LIghts up here, assuming because we are so far north that they must be pretty spectacular. In truth the opposite is true. For the first few years I was here we rarely saw them, and when we did see them they were hardly spectacular. The aurora, when it did show up, was just a pale smudge on the horizon reminiscent of faint wispy clouds.
I believe the reason for this has to do with our proximity to the North Magnetic Pole, and the lines of magnetism that the Northern Lights are so closely tied to. This is just my theory by the way I don’t really know for sure.
About three seasons ago this started to change and we occasionally have decent displays. The other night as Travis and I walked up the hill coming home from Leah’s mom’s the Lights danced across the south western sky in that wonderful green of theirs, and while they still have a long way to go to get to the amazing displays from elsewhere, there is movement and they are strikingly beautiful. Why are they suddenly getting better? Well again, fitting with my theory, the North Magnetic Pole is moving away from us every year, slowly heading towards the Russian Arctic.
I’ve been lucky to have lived most of my life in places where the Northern Lights dance. Growing up in Roblin we saw them regularly and Thompson, La Ronge and Fort Providence had truly magnificent displays, the Northern Lights swirled and danced and glowed in green, reds, yellows and violets. Seemingly so close you could touch them. They are awe inspiring.
And dangerous. A long while ago, when I was working as a summer student with the RCMP in Thompson Manitoba I was returning late one night from a patrol in Nelson House. As I crested a hill there in the middle of the road a little below the hill were three pickups with boats on trailers parked, their occupants standing at the side of the road. They barely looked at me as I skidded in a four wheel drift towards them, stopping just shy of them. My truck had barely stopped when I flew out of it in a rage. As I approached the nearest man standing on the road, ready to light in to him, he turned towards me and motioning to the sky simply said "Look!". There dancing across the night sky and with a curtain of brilliant stars as a backdrop were the Northern Lights. These fishermen from the southern United States had never before seen the Aurora and when the driver of the first truck noticed them he simply stopped where he was and got out to watch them dip and swirl across the northern heavens. How could you stay angry with that.
Comments
5 responses
I once got to see an aurora here in DC. It was a very faint reddish glow on the northern horizon. It grew in intensity and then faded away as quickly as it came.
That was a particularly strong year for auroral displays when there were several events that could be seen in the Mid-Atlantic region.
We just get the odd display of northern lights down here near Ottawa. I try to keep an eye on the aurora prediction websites to watch for nights that should have good potential. It helps that our bedroom has a big north-facing window, so I check the sky from time to time in the evening. Sometimes I am rewarded. I used to see them a bit more often when we kept a herd of goats as I’d often have to go out to the barn a couple of times during the night all through kidding season, so I’d catch the odd display then. Wish they were just a little more frequent.
Interesting to hear that the aurora activity is changing where you are. I wondered what it might be like there.
Is there a peak time for the lights? We haven’t seen anything too amazing here yet. I see a few faint ones sometimes when I’m walking, but nothing like the photos I’ve seen.
I was born in northern Montana and, according to my mom, saw the Aurora many times. But, we left when I was three and I have no memory of it. It’s a goal — see the Aurora dancing across the sky. I do hope to avoid being slammed into by passing automobiles when I do it though! 🙂
Hi John, Having grown up with them, it sometimes surprises me just how many people have never seen them. I remember a trip to Kauai where we did our best to try and describe what they were it didn’t work. For some reason though I would have thought you were far enough north.
I had heard that goats were good for Aurora. I just didn’t realize quite why until now Bev.
Hi Jamie, The Aurora is basically charged particles streaming from the sun, and as such there is no time of day which is better, although obviously it has to be dark. Displays increase with intense solar activity and solar storms. As Bev mentioned in her commments there are web sites that try and predict when the best times for viewing are.
Hope you get your opportunity to see them someday soon Egrets Nest.