This week has given us some of the greatest natural fireworks shows that nature has to offer. A solar storm has caused the aurora borealis to shine all over; I have it on very good authority that they were visible in Missouri and Arizona, and I have been told that they were visible in Texas. Here in Alaska, we’re kind of used to seeing the northern lights (bring pretty northern ourselves), but normally, it’s a few streams or curtains of green in the northern skies. Not this week! We saw curtains and streams of green, purple, red, and blue covering the entire sky. One night, my wife and I stood outside for half an hour, in 30-degree temps, watching the auroras whip and flicker above us. Our neighbors were doing likewise; when you have a bunch of Alaskans outside ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the auroras, you know it’s something unusual.
We took a lot of pictures.
Auroras are caused, of…
