Back in May, I mentioned my failed attempt at seeing the Northern Lights. Man, I was bummed. The next time there’s a coronal mass ejection of plasma clouds and charged particles leading to G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm conditions, I vowed, I’m a-gonna be ready.
Not in those exact words ’cause I’m no Neil deGrasse Tyson, but you get the gist.
Thursday, the internet was abuzz when the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (how cool that we have such a thing, btw) said a billion tons of plasma had been ejected from the sun, and was traveling toward earth at a million miles per hour. Which at first sounded alarming – was this an extinction-level event as portrayed in Deep Impact?! Would I have to tap into the life-sustaining nectar of my Spindrift stash? WERE WE ALL GOING TO DIE?? – until I realized, oh wait, that just means conditions are ripe for aurora borealis viewing tonight. Cool!
We just happened to have rare Thursday night plans, which meant we would be out after dark. Everything was lining up perfectly. I was bound and determined not to miss out on seeing the Northern Lights again. “Mark my words,” I said to Tara. “Tonight, I am scratching this off my bucket list.”
Our destination? Olbrich Botanical Gardens for the annual GLEAM outdoor art exhibit/light show. We’ve gone every year since moving here and always enjoyed it. The third time was no exception. After grabbing sushi in Madison, we drove five minutes to Olbrich for our 7:45 p.m. timed entry. Spent a good hour walking through the gardens, admiring the many art installations.
Any other time, this would have been the highlight of our evening. But there were better, more colorful lights to come.
Tara spotted them first as we were driving down Highway 12 toward home. She almost teared up. I got goosebumps myself. Even through the windshield of my car, they were magical.
From then, it was an absolute race to get to Dorothy Carnes Park, where we’d planned on staking them out. Finally, we arrived. There was already a decent-sized crowd there, gathered along the road to the park, heads craned skyward. It didn’t matter. For 30 minutes, we were in our own magical world.
Words don’t do the experience justice, though if I had to pick one, awestruck comes to mind. It was absolutely incredible. It’s true what they say: you can see them with the naked eye, but hold a camera up, and they really come to life. They shimmer and sway, the colors bursting and fading, a celestial dance. It feels like the choreography should be accompanied by a cosmic soundtrack, ethereal tunes sung by Enya.
It was a once in a lifetime experience I hope to see again and again.
Mark My Words 
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