Hello Darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to walk with you again. I cannot count the times that I have strolled out into the dark of night to clear my thoughts. Perhaps it is the cool air touching my face, the sounds that are suddenly more perceptible from the temperature inversions, or the smells that linger longer in the calmer winds that make me feel more grounded. It is at night when there is a chance to look up and see beyond my solar system, past the atmosphere and our own sun and moon into the vast expanse of the starry universe that I can find a way to make whatever is troubling me seem, by comparison, rather insignificant. However, there is one nocturnal phenomenon that each time I am lucky enough to witness it makes me feel blessed: the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights.
An aurora is the end result of a huge amount of plasma being ejected from the sun, sometimes called solar winds, due to the fusion of hydrogen and helium at the sun’s core and then interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. This solar wind is very fast, arriving at earth in 18 hours, and very hot at over 1500 °C; without the magnetic field to protect us we would be very dead. As the solar wind interacts with our atmosphere the elements of oxygen and nitrogen are excited and release photons (little bits of light) which is where the pretty waving colours of the aurora come from. This causes the humans in visual range down below to become excited and they release gasps (little ooo’s and ahh’s). When I see the aurora I am “blown away” by the beautiful light show that demonstrates how unique the Earth is when it comes to being able to maintain life. Through the wonders of nature this magnetic field keeps all life of on this planet protected, which makes me feel “universe”- ally less insignificant.
Given that we are fortunate enough to live in Dark Sky Country it is possible to see the dancing blues, greens and rarely red lights of the aurora with no equipment if you know what to look for. Usually what catches my eyes is some oddly shaped clouds in the North with a slight greenish discoloration (not to be confused with the yellow haze of Calgary’s light pollution, seen in the bottom right of the photo). In the spirit of celebrating International Dark Sky Week from April 15-21, I would encourage you to turn off your outdoor lights (especially between the hours of 11pm-6 am), grab a friend or family member and strike out into the dark in search of your own auroras or dark places of refuge to view the stars. This website helps to predict which nights auroras are more likely to be seen and where www.spaceweatherlive.com/.
For more information about the wonders of the night sky, events for dark sky week or to learn ways to protect the dark for our wild neighbours’ health and our own, check out the International Dark Sky Association idsw.darksky.org/ or contact your friendly neighbourhood astronomers at the fantastic Rothney Astrophysical Observatory science.ucalgary.ca/rothney-observatory/community/dark-sky-country
