Stalking An Aurora Borealis

A couple of weeks ago alerts went out informing the public of an impending experience for those in the upper tier of the U.S. An aurora borealis would slide across the sky at low enough latitude for those on the northern edges of the country to experience.

Such an occurrence is rare in summer and not to be missed. For those fortunate enough to see the red/green light show count yourselves among the privileged. For many fortune did not hold sway.

In northwestern Montana, heavy cloud banks to the north discouraged any possible viewing of the event horizon. Sitting at the top of a mountain with a clear view of the sky didn’t help, either.

We sat, my sister and I, on top of a mountain and came away with only a few pictures of a great sunset. Not a bad catch of the day, but not what we were looking for. The previous night we'd had a great view of the sky overhead, but still missed it because the lights were right on the horizon line--not a good position for us.

So, we wait.We want to see the lights in summer. We know that few Americans ever get lucky enough to experience the thrills of such wonders.

Fortune may take another swipe at the sky, however. Astronomers releasing alerts have couched them in possibilities. Our sun, they say, seems to be firing up for more flares in the near future after a long quiescent period. This news will trip the hearts of many a sky watcher.

Future possible aurora events will undoubtedly litter the news services in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for further developments. If you catch the next event alert before I do, be sure to give a shout my way.

'Til next time,

Claudsy