I Saw a Red Aurora Borealis! (Contest)

I live in south-central Arkansas. We rarely see the aurora borealis. When it appears this far south, you can’t see it well with the naked eye, and it’s always the blue-green lights. Last night, we were treated to quite a show. I’m sharing photos taken from my property of a lovely magenta to pink Northern Lights display. This is actually the first time I can recall seeing the lights in my lifetime, so you know I was excited!

This first one was taken with the roof of our house at the bottom of the photo. That bubble of white light is not the moon sitting on my roof; it’s a bubble sky light.

This photo and the one below, were taken from my back porch.

I sat outside in the cold, watching that miracle of “solar particles interacting with oxygen at high altitudes,” thankful for the intense solar activity that produced something I’ve never seen before. The sky was on fire.

Norsemen believed a red aurora borealis was caused by the Valkyries riding to deliver fallen warriors to Valhalla. The Sami people in Finland believed they were caused by fire foxes running across the sky. Some Native Americans believed they were the spirits of the dead coming to tell us about a coming disaster. I rather like the idea of the Valkyries charging across the sky—warrior women bringing the dead to Odin’s hall for a kegger.

For a chance to win a hand painted bookmark from me, let me know whether you’ve seen the Northern Lights and where!

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