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 Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:07 pm
last month we had the warmest nights ever, so i would go after after dark when the annoying crowds (and lifeguards) had left and splash about the lake and stretch my limbs.
one night i was floating on my back looking up at the stars, and a sheen began to appear, rippling from the north up to the top of the sky.
it was like draperies of green and blue, blown by an unseen breeze. the color was not brilliant but mysterious, something like ultraviolet which is right at the edge of your range of vision if you know what i mean.
and then, right overhead, laser beams appeared! bright thin straight streaks of light, some white, some orange.
meteors!
soon there were wider streaks, and some were also blue and green, coming from the top of the sky down toward the horizon, like someone was drawing over the canvas on which the northern lights had been painted.
for a grand finale, a meteor burst right at the top of the sky! There was a short streak of orange white light, and then a soundless but bright explosion, and it broke into two parts! The parts raced toward different horizons, like hands of a clock coming out from the center of the clock face.
they were about a third of the sky apart at the end, so the time looked like it was 10 minutes to 2.
i found out later that the northern lights were stronger than usual for this time of year because the sun was having violent flares.
what timing!
i do not expect to ever see anything like that again.
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Posted: Sun Sep 12, 2010 9:52 pm
Ahh, so lucky. We missed the meteor shower down here due to cloud cover.
This post is a reminder that I really should spend more time outside.
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Posted: Tue Sep 14, 2010 6:40 pm
Lea Fealith Ahh, so lucky. We missed the meteor shower down here due to cloud cover. This post is a reminder that I really should spend more time outside. where are you at now, oh peripatetic traveller?
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Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 8:53 am
In Denver, going to school again. I live against the interstate so there's not much of a view, but it's only a short drive before I'm out in the open prairie
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Posted: Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:56 am
Awww that is so cool <3
You figure living where I do I'd have seen the northern lights more than once, but nope. And the one time I saw them wasnt all that impressive. Just a few thing ribbons of highlightery yellow.
Thunderstorms and rainbows on the other hand! I've seen some gorgeous stuff in that department.
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 3:15 am
I am incredibly jealous of both chessie and kitsy! gonk
I would love to see the Northern Lights, but I know that if I went for a holiday to Canada or Iceland or whatever, I couldn't stay that long and you have to be lucky for it to even happen whilst I was there...
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:58 pm
but don't you get an aurora Australis or something, shells?
i seem to recall seeing super pics from Perth, but i may be wrong
again
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 2:14 pm
shells_of_sand I am incredibly jealous of both chessie and kitsy! gonk I would love to see the Northern Lights, but I know that if I went for a holiday to Canada or Iceland or whatever, I couldn't stay that long and you have to be lucky for it to even happen whilst I was there... And you'd have to be desperate for northern lights, or just crazy, or both to come here in winter and go far enough north to actually see them. Thats not a very relaxing vacation.
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:10 pm
chessiejo but don't you get an aurora Australis or something, shells? i seem to recall seeing super pics from Perth, but i may be wrong again No, you're right. I've read about the Southern Lights before. I think you can mostly see them in Antarctica, although I just did a quick Google search and apparently you CAN see them in Aus but the last aurora alert is from 2006. There's probably too much light pollution to ever see them in Melbourne...
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Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:14 pm
kitsycool shells_of_sand I am incredibly jealous of both chessie and kitsy! gonk I would love to see the Northern Lights, but I know that if I went for a holiday to Canada or Iceland or whatever, I couldn't stay that long and you have to be lucky for it to even happen whilst I was there... And you'd have to be desperate for northern lights, or just crazy, or both to come here in winter and go far enough north to actually see them. Thats not a very relaxing vacation. No way! I've read about holidays where you go to Canada and go polar bear watching and hope desperately to see the Northern Lights. rofl It sounds AWESOME to me. Some of the tours even spend a night in your fair town of Winnipeg. xd See here: http://www.discover-the-world.co.uk/en/holidays/canada/polar-bear-adventure-tour/ For a short time each year, the remote Canadian town of Churchill, Manitoba is transformed into the ‘Polar Bear Capital of the World’. This curious place, with its long main street, low rise buildings and distinctly ‘pioneer’ feel, becomes the centre of attention – for bears and visitors alike. In October and November, as many as 1200 bears gather here on the icy tundra, waiting for the sea to freeze so they can wander out onto the ice in search of seals. After fasting for the summer, the bears are particularly hungry. Churchill is perched on a spit of land between the western shore of Hudson Bay and the Churchill River. For centuries, this peninsula has been the bear’s natural access point into the bay. The Polar Bear Experience allows you to spend two full days exploring the frozen wilderness in an outsized ‘Tundra Buggy’ which allows you to observe the bears, at a safe distance. With their huge special tyres, the buggies easily navigate the uneven terrain and offer an elevated position, giving a clear view of the animals outside. The buggies are heated, and there is a basic restroom onboard as well as an outside rear viewing platform that provides outstanding photographic opportunities. The bears aren't at all bothered by such a powerful all-terrain vehicle in their midst and will often come right up and stand on their hind legs to investigate! Or they may simply ignore the Buggy and roll around in the snow nearby and play-fight with one another. Temperatures can range from -10ºC (20ºF) to 9ºC (48ºF) and although there is likely to be snow and possibly rain, there is also a good chance of having bright, clear days. The combination of dark nights and absence of artificial light create the ideal conditions for an appearance of the northern lights. So keep your fingers crossed!
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Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2010 7:47 pm
yah, i have heard the bears are getting like the ones in Yellowstone-
overly fond of sharing our snacks and junk food!
but the problem is, although they are simultaneously beautiful and cute, they are also still wild and big and strong.
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