Photo by Julia G
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” – 1 Corinthians 2:9
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. – Psalm 19:1-2
Northern lights (aurora borealis) are a sight to behold. They can vary in color and intensity on any given night. Usually seen in Alaska and other places in the north, in 1859, these lights were witnessed as far south as Hawaii (which is closer to the equator than Florida).
In an attempt to keep this explanation simple (not that I’m an expert on the subject by any means), this is basically what happens: There are electrically charged particles which flow or stream out from the sun, and some of these enter the earth’s atmosphere. These charged particles collide with molecules of gas, mostly nitrogen and oxygen.
When this happens, the particles from the sun gain energy. So, to return to their normal state, they release this energy in the form of light. Most people see a brilliant green color during one of these events, such as in the above photo. But colors have been known to vary from red to purple to blue. The green light is from oxygen at about 50 miles above the earth, while higher levels of oxygen (200 plus miles above the earth) give off red light. Nitrogen produces the blue and purple light.
Some people even claim to be able to hear something when the northern lights are visible, such as a swooshing or whistling sound.
Yet for some people, there are even greater experiences than these in store, and I’ll address that in a moment. And regardless of the technical aspects, I think these lights are pretty cool.
A friend of ours took this photo from the dock in a location where my wife and I helped serve wounded veterans in Alaska. During our second season there, I might have even helped service the float-plane in the picture. See The Beating Heart of a Patriot.
God makes some remarkable promises to those who have come to Him in true faith. One such promise is the one in the first verse above. Basically, we don’t have the ability to even imagine how good it is going to be when we leave this life and enter into paradise with Him.
I like that, because I can imagine a lot!
If you’ve never gotten right with God, please see Got God?
So, keep an eye on that night sky. And I hope you have a great day.
Back in the early 80’s a co-worker woke me up with a late night phone call to tell me to look out my window to the southeast. The sky was filled with a reddish-orange light. First and only time I’ve ever seen the aurora borealis in person. I’ve seen many, many pictures but just like a lot of things, it’s never the same as seeing them in person. Thank you. K, o
Thank you Rocky. I know I’ve seen them once, perhaps twice here in the lower 48. You are right, pictures don’t compare to seeing them in person. We went out and spent some dark cold nights hoping to see them the times we visited Alaska, but only heard from others in local restaurants how spectacular they were the night before we were there. Oh well, there is still time… And I’m sure they will pale in what is to come for those headed for paradise with God!