Jim Brandenburg’s “Day 38” from the book and poster Chased by the Light
Northwoods Light Show
One of the northwoods’ winter
wonders is the night sky. Away from
artificial light sources, the view of the
stars and planets is dazzling. The sheer
number is awe-inspiring, especially to
urban dwellers who have become so
accustomed to a night sky awash with
city lights that they never expect to see
more than a few stars.
But the impressive abundance and
intense beauty of the stars becomes
little more than a sideshow on nights
when the main attraction is the
northern lights. Varying from a dim
glow in the north to a shimmering,
pulsing, radiant show filling the sky, the
spectacle is worth bundling up and
going outside to see even on the
frostiest evenings. The light show, also
called aurora borealis in the northern
hemisphere and aurora australis in the
southern hemisphere, is awe-inspiring.
And it also inspires curiosity. Here are
answers to some of the most
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commonly asked questions:
What causes the northern lights?
Activity on the sun creates solar
winds that blow out from the sun,
flowing toward the earth in the form of
electrically charged particles. When the
solar winds reach the magnetic forces
of Earth, most of these particles are
forced out and around our planet
similar to the way water flows around a
rock in a rapids. But some particles
make it into Earth’s magnetic sphere.
These are guided toward the poles by
magnetic forces in the same way iron
filings are pulled by a bar magnet. Here
they enter the earth’s upper
atmosphere and strike the atoms and
molecules of atmospheric gases. These
atoms and molecules then have extra
energy, which they give off as flashes
of light. This process is always
happening to some degree, but when
there are enough charged particles
penetrating the atmosphere to create
The Ely Winter Times
so much light that it’s visible from
Earth, we experience a display of
northern lights. This happens when the
solar winds are stronger due to extra
activity on the sun’s surface.
When is the most likely time of year
to see the northern lights?
Since the energy that creates the
aurora originates with the sun, northern
lights ebb and flow with solar activity
rather than with the earth’s seasons.
But because northern summer nights
are so short, and because the afterglow
of sunset is far to the north during
summer, there is more opportunity to
see auroral displays in fall, winter, and
spring when the northern sky is dark
longer. Auroral activity may be going
on all day, but like the stars, it’s not
visible to our eyes until after sunset.
Can auroral display be predicted?
When solar activity is high, there
will be northern lights. The solar
activity also creates interference with
radio reception and telecommunication.
If you’ve noticed abnormal static or
heard on the news that radio
interference is being caused by sun
spots or solar storms, check out the
sky that night. The night following a
good show of northern lights is likely to
have more of them, because solar
winds can be strong for several days in
a row. Also, 27 days after a good
display is a likely time to have an
occurrence. This is because the sun’s
rotation takes 27 days. So if an active
sun spot creates strong solar winds
blowing toward earth, that spot will turn
away from us as the sun revolves,
returning to blow winds toward us again
in 27 days.
What makes the colors in the
northern lights?
Colors are caused by a variety of
factors, including the kind of gases that
are being activated by the charged
particles, how deep into the
atmosphere the particles penetrate,
how close to the horizon the aurora is
seen and what atmospheric conditions
the light travels through (consider the
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Diagram courtesy of
University of Alaska Press
orange rising moon and the colors at
sunset), and whether the display is
bright enough to activate the color
sensors in our eyes. Seeing a good
northern lights show depends not just
on the aurora phenomenon, but on our
ability to perceive it.
Is there ever sound associated with
the aurora?
This is a subject of ongoing
research. Although the idea was
discounted by some scientists in the
past, the persistent reports of this
phenomenon, even by trained
scientists, have led to its further
examination in recent years. So far the
answer seems to be yes, but we don’t
know why. We know that humans could
not possibly hear a relatively quiet
electrical process going on at least 40
and as much as 200 miles above our
heads. If you are ever able to get a
recording of the sound associated with
a bright aurora, carefully observe and
record the experience and contact the
University of Alaska at Fairbanks,
where most of the land-based research
on the aurora is being done. You could
make a significant contribution to our
understanding of this phenomenon.
What did people think caused
northern lights before modern
scientific explanation?
As few as 30 years ago some well
educated people were explaining the
aurora as reflections off ice fields in the
far north, although scientists had begun
attributing the displays to solar activity
in the early 1900’s.
Legends and myths about the
northern lights are plentiful among all
people who lived in areas where they
could be seen. These often involve
departed spirits, the souls of dead
loved ones. Some say the lights are the
trails of child spirits playing ball, or
lanterns lit by spirit guides to help lost
souls find their way to the afterlife.
Middle Euopeans tend more to legends
about gods battling in the sky or
dragons and other scary animals. Fire
is a common theme among aurora
stories told by Native Americans,
including Minnesota Menominee who
told of enormous torches used by
friendly giants to help the people spear
fish at night. In Scandinavian Lapland,
one belief was that the aurora was a
winter thunderstorm.
Neil Davis, author of The Aurora
Watcher’s Handbook, recalls his first
experience seeing the aurora. It was a
red display that was visible far to the
south, and many people, believing the
end of the world to be at hand,
panicked and ran into the streets to
pray and confess past sins. His
strongest memory of that night was a
neighbor lady who loudly confessed
“what to my youthful ears were some
highly interesting social activities.” He
reports that she remained in her house
for several days afterwards.”
What do the northern lights look like?
Certainly on nights when there is a
dramatic show, nobody gazing at the
night sky will miss them. But more
subtle displays take the form of a softly
glowing arc, usually toward the north.
This arc may begin to break into
streaks of light that move across the
sky. In the Ely area, northern lights are
most often colorless, or a light green.
Occasionally, red is also present.
There is plenty to learn about the
aurora, some of it more easily
understood if you have a working
knowledge of physics. The book
mentioned above is excellent, and
readable by those of us with less
science aptitude than some. Published
by the University of Alaska Press at
Fairbanks, it has a companion video
that’s a great way to see the aurora if
you miss them on your visit. Book and
video are available at Bear Paw Books
or Piragis Northwoods Co.
Deborah
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