As they watched from the river valley on earth and were surrounded by looming spruces, it was impossible to appreciate the forces which lit the heavens and lead to the impression of the sky being wrenched apart before their eyes. Ever building and ever collapsing, green bands of streaming light were changed and morphed as they moved across the sky. Arches of lime-light on the horizon diminished before their eyes , but were re-built again, again, and again. Each new band of aurora was different than the last, and each was beautiful. Waxing and waning the aurora finally monopolized one hundred and eight degrees of view and commanded the absolute attention of those below. Orion’s belt to the south was covered in emerald, and those same lights which infected the southern sky extended to the northern horizon.It was to the north that the viewers watched. The knew that whatever lay in store for this evening would start there.
I’ve scrolled up and down the blog about 6 times, trying to figure my favorite. Each chosen favorite lasts no longer than it takes to scroll to the next. What a collection!!! And your narrative reads like the return of Carl Sagan. Nice blog!
Thanks! Was a great night! Is interesting, someone else was just telling me how they liked the moonless shots better too. A strange coincidence because you two are the first two! I think I’m partial to the moonlit ones as long as the moon isn’t in full view.
Wow, Ian! This looks like a setting for a Disney movie. It appears both surreal & magnificent. Your text & music are perfect for the images. These auroras are the most striking yet.
Thanks Peggy! Great to hear from you! I’ve had a lot of people tell me it felt like a disney movie actually, haha! Maybe a scene from Fantasia?
This reads like a poem to me, the images a compliment to your words instead of the words complimenting the images as in previous posts. I love the glow of yellow in the ” fire grate” of the bent spruce tree. The pillars of aurora appear as smoke swirling and curling up toward the stars, with no need for the onlookers to say “I hate white rabbits.” Well done, Ian:)
I’m still looking for lyrics for my “aurora song” which I’m meaning to write. Maybe some of them are contained here 🙂
There’s a significant difference between photos in this blog and recent photos…the presence/absence of Mr Moon. When he’s in his full glory, his ambient light dominates the landscape, especially with your light-gathering camera. In his absence (such as above), the Aurora provides the ambient light…and its as though the snow has deeply embedded green photons. The aurora itself becomes more intense, and creates its own color complement in the green-imbued snow chorus. I vote for dark-shot Aurora.
Hi Ian, The Auroras keep getting more beautiful. The arc h ones are unusual and really beautiful. It is hard to pick one favorite- they are all awesome. So far we have not a taste of Spring. Quite the contrary, record cold for this late in the winter. The high today was -1. The drain field froze up and we had to have the tank pumped yesterday. We still have a thin coating of snow on the ground. I hope March has more pleasant weather. I haven’t left the house unlessit was really necessary, such as a dentist appointment. My teeth keep breaking off which means getting a partial and that takes several visits. Tomorrow should be the final trip. Tim usually does my grocery shopping so that is a big help. There is really nothing interesting going on here. I will start embroidering a quilt for Amanda and Jaretts baby as soon as I geet the material so that will keep me busy for quite some time. It will help pass the time. Keep the pictures and narratives coming. I really enjoy them. Take care and God Bless,
Love you, Grammy
On Sat, Feb 21, 2015 at 11:02 AM, Ian A Johnson : Life, Wildlife, Wild-life
Hey Grammy – take care of those chompers! Warm, warm, warm weather here. Hit 40 this weekend! Talk to you soon!