May 2024 Northern Lights

Both the sun and moon sank below the horizon, leaving us with the stars and the faint aurora to the north. A group of friends and I were making the drive back home at 2 AM through the dark, open roads of southwestern Montana. We had spent the last few hours waiting for a solar storm to reveal the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) between the dim hours of May 10 and 11, with just a hazy, faint glow to the north behind the mountains. It more closely resembled city lights. 

It was late enough, and we soaked in all that we thought the aurora had in store. We packed our things, got back in the car, and started our way back home. I looked left and caught myself peering up a little higher, noticing movement. There it was. Dancing above us. I speedily pulled over to the side, and we stood outside my car staring straight up at the sky. We couldn’t see the colors, but the vision was extraterrestrial. It was just me, my two friends, and a friend’s dog. He paid no mind to the dazzling show overhead, but we were locked in. 

In that moment, the world felt so much smaller. Bigger troubles melted away. The exhaustion of being awake during ungodly hours disappeared. When the lights of the aurora rippled from the center to the edge of the sky, I almost heard the universe say “Hello.” 

The next morning, nobody’s social media feed was safe from photos and videos of their view of the northern lights. Still feeling the itch for more, my brother and I headed to Grand Teton National Park to see if we could capture the lights again that next evening. The solar storm was not as powerful, but we were still treated to a show of lights that appeared in  camera. My recommendation - if you have the chance to see the northern lights, take the risk of losing some sleep and do it!