Aurora Borealis

Lets take a moment to appreciate the brilliant colors that autumn provides. I asked AI to give me a description of the colors without using the name of the colors, this is what it came up with. "Autumn brings a palette of warmth and richness. The leaves transform, taking on shades that echo the fading light of the sun, from the gentle hues of a setting sky to the deep tones reminiscent of a crackling fire. Some leaves mirror the warmth of a well-aged wood, while others reflect the glow of ripe harvests. The ground becomes a canvas of earthy tones, soft yet vibrant, as the trees stand adorned in a mix of golden-hour radiance and the deeper, muted whispers of dusk. The sky above turns cooler, hinting at the crisp air that follows."

I couldn't agree more with that description.

We have been honored with a brilliant showing of the Northern Lights as well. I loved it a few nights ago, but last night was indescribable.

Ready for your educational moment of the day? Here goes.

What causes the northern lights (aurora borealis)?

A number of things need to happen at the same time that present these brilliant lights in the sky. The National Park Service gives a great description of the colors and what causes the lights in the first place. Below is a shortened version, the longer version can be found HERE.

First, increased solar activity: The sun emits charged particles during solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

Second, solar wind carries these particles millions of miles to interact with Earth's atmosphere.

Third, these particles are captured by Earth's magnetic field and drawn to Earth's poles (yes, there are southern lights, not just northern lights - these are known as Aurora Australis).

Finally, these particles collide with the molecules in the Earth's atmosphere heating them up and then shedding the energy picked up from the collisions in the form of light.

So why are the colors different? Green: most common color produced at the lowest altitude (100-300km) Red: produced by oxygen atoms at higher altitudes (300-400km)

Blue and Purple: Produced by hydrogen and helium molecules. These colors are more difficult to see in the night sky.

Pink or dark red: produced by nitrogen molecules at altitudes of 100km.

Scarlet Red: produced with high altitude oxygen and only occurs when the aurora is particularly energetic.

Orange: Produced by neon.

These lights occur roughly 300-600 miles above Earth.

Admittedly, the best colors come after a long exposure time on your camera. Last night, the lights looked like wisps of fog with a slight tinge of light. Toward 10pm is when the dark red showed up and it appeared as though there was a wildfire glow in the sky. Some of the photos below are what the sky looked like from a normal eye without the long exposure for those curious.

On that note, I have some work to do with my chainsaw and chopping maul today.