The Aurora – A Thousand Words Across the Sky, Letter From the Publiser, by Kirk Blankenship, is published in the Fall/Winter, 2024/25 edition of Vibrant Senior Options Resource Guide Magazine.
The picture above “paints a thousand words” across the sky. On the evening of May 10, 2024, my wife and I drove northeast of Sedro-Woolley in Skagit Valley and enjoyed one of creation’s magnificent light shows, known as an aurora.
An aurora, commonly known as the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) or Southern Lights (Aurora Australis), is a natural light display in Earth’s sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of brilliant lights that appear as curtains, rays, spirals, or dynamic flickers covering the entire sky. Auroras result from disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. These particles, mainly electrons and protons, precipitate into the upper atmosphere. The resulting ionization and excitation of atmospheric constituents emit lights of varying color and complexity. (Aurora – Wikipedia)
The strongest geomagnetic storm in over 20 years occurred in May 2024, resulting in stunning worldwide displays of the aurora Borealis. It dazzled scientists and sky watchers alike. The G5 storm culminated in a remarkable display of the Aurora Borealis overnight on May 10-11, visible from many areas worldwide, including latitudes where sightings of auroras are uncommon including as far south as Florida. (From article, Historic Geomagnetic Storm Dazzles, by Kathryn Hansen, NASA Earth Observatory)
An aurora’s color is influenced by atmospheric compounds found at different altitudes. Auroras occur high in the atmosphere, so observers on the ground can potentially witness them from very far away. The aurora radiates creative energy, with a variety of colors to enjoy.
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Now, with all that scientific explanation above, I still picture the Creator with a brush in hand painting up a colorful solar storm against a palette of black with those trillions of white stars sprinkled in and having a great time making us marvel.
Kirk Blankenship, Publisher
