Northern Lights on Display Tuesday Night

Last night, November 11, the universe treated sky watchers to an exceptionally bright, colorful display of the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis.

These lights are seen mainly in the northern areas of the country, and reach their full glory in the Arctic lands, with many countries offering northern lights tours.

We in Wyoming often get a chance to see them, even as far south as Cheyenne and Laramie.

The Northern Lights have fascinated men for centuries, and many theories have been brought forth to explain them. Some cultures felt it was spirits reaching out to the mortals below, and some felt they were a bad omen.

However, this story in the Laramie Daily Sentinel, October 25, 1870, had it pretty close – At about ten o’clock last evening, there was an unusually brilliant display of Aurora Borealis. This phenomenon is not so frequent occurrence as in more northern latitudes, but has been noticed several times this fall. For the benefit of those superstitiously inclined, we will mention that the prevalence of Northern Lights is fall is not due to the bloodshed and disturbed state of affairs in Europe nor indicative of some dire calamity to our own country but are merely caused by the passage of electricity through the rarefied atmosphere in the upper regions. That’s all. They are a pretty sight, though and will pay young ladies and gentlemen to sit up nights, and watch for their appearance.

In the late 19th Century, Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland felt the lights were the result of solar winds, streams of charged particles emitted by the sun which collide with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, releasing their energy in the form of light.

Today, scientists now believe the lights are a result of solar flare activity, bursts of energy called coronal mass ejections, that, when they interact with Earth’s atmosphere, create these brilliant and colorful displays.

For those who missed them last night, there is a chance of seeing another colorful display tonight. One wishing to see the celestial display should find a place far from city lights, sit back and enjoy the show.

This week’s history piece, to be published on Sheridan Media on Sunday, November 16, will feature some stories of the Northern Lights throughout the years in the state of Wyoming.

Feature image courtesy of Sabrina McBride. Other photos by Cynthia Vannoy.