see the northern lights

Saw this ad: spectacularnwt.com Will check it when I’m ready to go!

September is actually the start of the aurora season. Auroras or the northern lights can actually be seen as far south as Arizona and even further south. Our sun is the cause of all auroras in which the sun expells solar flares towards earths atmosphere. There are ways to predict when auroras can occur by tracking sunspots. Do not look at the sun, but with a pair of binoculars and a white piece of paper, you point the binoculars towards the sun and have the eye pieces pointed towards the white paper in which you focus the lenses to focus the sun in which you can see the spots on the paper which are bursts of fire on the sun that release a solar flare. Ok well that is the toughest way to predict the auroras, THE EASIEST WAY IS www.spaceweather.com. Here you can check where they post pictures of the sunspots daily and tell you when to look out for them. There is also a feature for a few dollars where you can have them call your phone when an aurora is taking place that night over your area, so those of you looking to see the NORTHERN LIGHTS OR AURORAS, you will increase your chances.
My first aurora viewing was October 30, 2003/04 in Pittsburgh,PA. I was walking my dogs through a trail behind out house to our neighbors farm of over 500 acres which has the highest cleared hill in the area of 1400 feet above sea level. When we got to the end of the field on top of the hill it was time to turn around. It was just about dusk and the stars were coming out in which I was looking up at the beautiful dark blue/orange dim sky in which a blazing shooting star or meteor caught my eye higher in the sky. Since I saw the one shooting star, I thought I could see another one if I looked long enough. So I was looking in the sky when all of a sudden I saw this pink beam of color in the dark sky towards the north. I thought at first it was my eyes adjusting to the dark light but… the pink was growing brighter… and brighter… and brighter! I knew then that it wasen’t my eyes but something more magical going on. I knew then that an aurora was in effect! I ran to the other side of the hill in which it dropped off till you could see until the horizon in which I had a full view of the aurora. Now brighter then ever, beams of light, like durring a cloudy day when you see the multiple beams of light shining down through the clouds, only these beams of colored light were shining up through the colored aurora. I had my cell phone on me and started calling everyone I knew to tell them that something that some people never ever see in their lifetimes WAS OCCURING! The beautiful display of colores and light beams continued for about 45 minutes until it rose from the horizon to over head and then passed into the distant south until it was gone. What I can tell you when you see something like this, is this was one of the best NATURAL Highs I have ever had. It is a feeling you never forget, wheather the actual aurora has something to do with what I felt or not, but if you experience the rare aurora, you will understand the magical experience that it is! If anyone is interested in telescopes and would like to go up to the highest point around here and view planets and other amazing views in space awaiting auroras durring an X-Class solar flare… feel free to email me. I have just started astrophotography so I will be up there alot this season. I am north of Pittsburgh,PA about 40 min. near McConnells Mills State Park.
HAVE FUN AND MAKE SURE TO SEE AN AURORA BEFORE YOU DIE, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO GO TO CANADA OR ALASKA SOMETIME DURRING THE AURORA SEASON.