When it comes to the Aurora Borealis in Alaska right now, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that it’s still winter in Alaska. That means it actually gets dark so you can see them. The bad news is that it’s still winter in Alaska. Which means that while you stand outside in awe, the cold seeps into your hands, your toes, and eventually every part of your body.
Thanks to a sun event, the likelihood of seeing the Northern Lights has been high the last couple of days. I set my alarm and crawled out of bed at 1 AM and bundled up to venture outside and check on the show.
The sky in Healy, if you get far enough away from the lights around our building, is an inky black velvet with glitter scattered across it. When the lights are mild, the sky turns into black silk, with a sheen across it that can be mistaken for light clouds. But on a good night you can see ribbons of light, dancing and changing, moving as you watch. Last night I didn’t get to see the rarer red lights, but they were white ribbons, silent and beautiful. I stood outside for about an hour, and at the end the lights faded to that cloudy look. I kept hoping they might return, but the cold finally chased me inside. Well, the cold and the dark figure I heard approaching on the road. It was too dark to make out what it was, but moose are known to travel on the road just like we do. I began to make my way back to our housing, and was happy when the figure, approaching fast, turned out to be a fellow worker who was out enjoying the lights.
Soon the nights will begin to shorten to the point where we won’t see dark again until September, and seeing the northern lights won’t be possible. So I guess standing outside in the cold in the middle of the night is worth it right now.
Travels with Billie 