“Like the nights when the Northern lights perform” Joni Mitchell sings in “Little Green.” There is nothing quite as magical, mystical and majestic as seeing the aurora borealis.
It’s been visible the past couple of nights as far south as Mexico; brushstrokes of red, green, blue and purple pulsing in the northern sky. By far the best I can ever remember in my 42 years living in Minnesota.
They result from solar flares bathing Earth with charged particles (the “solar wind”) vibrating molecules of oxygen and nitrogen 60 to 150 miles above Earth. For a few days in mid-November social media was filled not with political trash-talking, but with almost divine glimpses of how beautiful our world can be.
Winds finally ease today with a shot at 60 degrees Friday before Saturday showers usher in cooler air (40s) next week. It looks like our atmosphere will be just warm enough for a few episodes of rain next week, but I see 30s and a better chance of slush in time for Thanksgiving.
I hope you got to see our “sky on fire.”
