The Aurora Borealis - A Night of Wonder!

Beginning last night (5/10) and continuing tonight (5/11), energized particles, from several major solar storms, have reached our upper atmosphere across North America and the rest of the northern hemisphere. As far south as the Texas/ Mexico border, light in shades of green and red/pink danced across the night sky. Although visible with the naked eye, with the aid of even just a phone camera, you can bask in the glory of a sky filled with wonder!

We made the drive north to Rexburg to meet up with a friend before driving to the hills south of town. Viewing began around 10 pm. At first, it appeared as though dim grey clouds began to form across the sky. The stars faded behind these "clouds" while the clouds of light grew as the light of day faded in the west. Around 11pm we began to see the greens and pinks, with definitive lines forming out of the haze. It felt like we had entered a dream. I assumed that we had experienced the extent of this event as the aurora event seemed to plateau in its intensity. With plans the next day requiring us to get up early, we decided to call it and head home.

About 5 minutes from home we noticed an obvious increase in activity in the aurora. We parked in a farm field and watched as the light above our head morphed and glowed. Flashes of white/green light danced along the bottom of the light columns above us. In real-time, the flashes moved quickly, jumping from column of light to column of light in the blink of an eye. The sky was alive! Kaylee and I rushed home to set out blankets on the lawn. By 12:30 am, the sky had erupted in color! Even the reds and pinks were visible to the naked eye now. The lights of the city certainly dampened the effect, but despite this, we still had quite the show!

Photographers across the northern hemisphere have captured this once-in-a-lifetime event in stunning fashion! A few of my favorites from the mountain west are @mark.payton.photography, @packtography, @neilsimmonsphotography, and @wildly.tristen (All on Instagram). I imagine you can find tens of thousands more photos all across the internet as millions of people are in the viewing area.

Here are a few pictures from our perspective, enjoy!!