Ribbons of green and purple light streak across the sky. Swirls of light run and dance unpredictably, sometimes almost invisible, other times startlingly vivid. This all-natural light show is better than anything man made. Those lucky enough to witness this phenomenon will cherish their memories of it forever.
Neela Bergeron, freshman, was one of the lucky few who had the chance to view the Northern Lights on May 11, 2024. Bergeron was staying at her cousins’ house in Andover, Minn with her family.
“It was cool because you could see the sky change colors so quickly. It was like clouds were moving and dancing around the sky,” Bergeron said.
For others, like Sayla Theirl, sophomore, it felt like a dream.
“I almost felt like I was seeing things because what we saw wasn’t very bright. I was like, ‘Is this real or am I just tired and seeing things that aren’t real?’” Theirl said.
Theirl was camping at Harrington Beach State Park in Belgium, Wisc, only about 30 minutes north of Mequon when her parents woke her up at 2:30 in the morning.
“My dad was still awake and he went to take the dog outside and he saw them.” Theirl said.
Although it was very faint and Theirl only saw it briefly, it still was an experience that she will never forget.
To see the lights you have to be extremely lucky, as well as invested enough to wake up in the middle of the night to see them or willing to travel great distances. Tracy Grace, science teacher, discussed the lights and where and when the best times to see them are.
“You can see the lights in Canada and further north. I would say north of like 50-60° latitude. They are best seen between 2 and 4 a.m. and who is up then? But I’ll set my alarm,” Grace said.
Grace has never seen the lights herself, but it is one of her goals in life.
“In my entire life, I still have not seen them in person which makes me incredibly sad. Someday I want to see them. I’ve gone two separate times where I consciously had the goal of seeing the lights and they were invisible. Someday,” Grace said.
According to Grace, now is a very good time to be able to see the lights.
“The lights themselves are not super unique, but the sun goes through cycles where it is more active. Right now it is going through a very active cycle. The more active the sun cycle, the more solar flares and the more Northern Lights,” Grace explained.
Many people travel all over the world in an attempt to see things like the northern lights or a solar eclipse. When asked if she would travel somewhere just to see the northern lights, Bergeron responded, “I have. I went to Reykjavik, Iceland. And we got to see them. It was awesome”.
But how does this magical phenomenon occur? Most people don’t know anything more than “pretty lights,” like Theirl who claimed she didn’t have a “single brain cell” about the lights.
It is a very complicated scientific explanation, but Grace shared some of her expert knowledge on the subject.
“Solar flares are basically just explosions on the surface of the sun. They release particles which interact with our magnetic field and the gasses in the atmosphere. This creates the colors that we see,” Grace said.
This sounds like it could be scary and potentially dangerous to us, but it is mostly safe. According to an article by Stefanie Waldek and Daisy Dobrijevic, Northern lights (aurora borealis): What they are & how to see them, “Our planet’s magnetic field protects us from the onslaught” and keeps us safe.
Grace commented further on this and explained that there can actually be some complications.
“Some of the bigger flares can actually cause disruptions to our power. Really, really big ones are kind of scary to think about because it can affect the power grid. Sometimes there are minor disruptions in the power grid, especially closer to the North Pole, but luckily there’s not a lot of people up there,” Grace said.
Many of us don’t even realize how important the sun is to everything in our lives. In an article for National Geographic, Andrew Turgeon and Elizabeth Morse discuss how earth could not survive without the sun.
“It drives weather, ocean currents, seasons, and climate, and makes plant life possible through photosynthesis,” Turgeon and Morse explain.
The sun provides us with the energy that we need to function. It grows our food so that we don’t starve. It gives off warmth and keeps us from freezing to death. The northern lights are just an extra add on that show how lucky we are.
