Solar storms and dancing colors

On one night in May when we all looked up.

May 30, 2024 • this newsletter will self-destruct in 5 minutes

If you were pretty much anywhere in the United States, United Kingdom, Europe or Asia on the night of May 10th, I hope you were outside enjoying an unusual level G5 geomagnetic storm, the biggest in 20 years. Aurora borealis colors were seen in Florida, San Francisco, London—even as far south as northern India! (If you slept through this event, no doubt every social media channel you belong to was teeming with photos the next morning.)1

You have to understand, seeing the aurora borealis is a bucket list item for me. I’ve long wanted to go to Norway and Iceland, and see the lights dancing in the sky. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my first aurora experience would be here in Oregon!

I tried taking a photo of the sky with my phone, to see if it picked up more than I could see with my eye, and boy did it ever. The first photo above was a few blocks up my street, as I went walking to find patches of darker sky. (We live across from a very bright street light.) By the time I texted three progressively more colorful photos to my husband, he was hopping in our truck despite the late hour, and picking me up to drive to darker parts of the Rogue Valley.

I suggested the Table Rocks, two volcanic plateaus north of Medford, as their parking lots are quite dark and good for stargazing. (I have fond memories of watching my bestie Adam experience his first Perseid meteor shower there.) We captured the second two images of Lower and Upper Table Rocks from nearby roads, along with many other locals. We apparently all had the same idea.

Anyway, it was such a special night, I decided to paint it.

A painting on black paper with roughly finished edges of the aurora borealis as seen over Upper and Lower Table Rocks in southern Oregon near White City. The left side shows a dimly illuminated rock formation with steep sides and a very flat top, over which a crescent moon hangs low. On the right is a less defined rock formation with a more gradual profile on the sides and a broad top. The sky is painted in streamers of pinks and purples, with a green glow showing on the lower right side of the sky. Many shimmering paint colors are used to add to the effect.

For this painting, I combined views of both Lower and Upper Table Rocks into one scene, with the crescent moon hanging over Lower Table Rock as it appeared to the naked eye (the photos blow it out, unfortunately.) I changed the perspective a bit on Upper, as I was taking photos from near its base, and it appears much more flat from afar. Here’s what they look like from a distance:

Lower and Upper Table Rocks, two volcanic plateaus in the Rogue Valley, seen at sunset in a heavily clouded sky. Zigzags of golden color contrast against the heavy gray clouds above darker blue-gray mountains and a rural landscape in the foreground.

I bought this handmade black paper ages ago, and admittedly I didn’t know what to do with it, as it’s quite textured and not at all homogenous. Dear reader, it was perfect.

What strikes me about that night, that magical night, is how many others had the same experience, an aurora borealis light show at home, in the last place you expected it, without having to travel. We were all online the next morning, talking about it—the Northern Hemisphere was buzzing with it! So many people all across the globe, with the same shared experience. And don’t we need more of that right now? All of us, together, getting excited about the same wonderful, uplifting thing? It gives me hope.

Next time I see dear Boreas2, I hope I’m in Iceland or Norway. But hey, on May 10th, I saw them in Oregon, standing next to the love of my life, who was just as enthralled as I was. I hope you saw them too, where you’re at. I hope we never forget how it felt.

Until next time, I remain that nerdy friend texting you at midnight to go outside and look up at the damn sky RIGHT NOW RIGHT NOW,

– Danielle

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