Aurora Borealis

When I was much younger, I saw a movie called The Bucket List (Epic, 100% recommend) starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as the leads, and ever since, seeing the Northern Lights was on my bucket list. Somehow, I always thought Latvia was not far enough north to witness them fully. I thought I would have to make a trip to Norway or thereabout.

But just last year in March, I read in the news of the possibility of seeing them the following night. So, I went outside around midnight as recommended. At first, I did not see anything. Then, I noticed a faint glow in the sky. I almost mistook it for clouds. I took a photo with my Samsung Galaxy, and a couple of seconds later, I saw the rendering of the image. It was green! How many times have I looked in the night sky and did not even realize that Northern Lights are happening? Our eyes are a bit of garbage, and they do not see what cameras can see. So it turns out that sometimes you have to look out for something you do not see. Or something not as powerful as you would see in the photos.

However, that was not the case on the night of the 10th to 11th of May 2024. I was staring at my box and playing khem… Sims (Please, do not judge me! The game is nostalgic to me) when Lem told me we should have a look. He practically dragged me outside. And holy moly! I could not believe my eyes! There was no room for mistaking it for clouds or anything. I saw the colors, sure not as vividly as in the photos, but colors nonetheless!

We were outside for hours, observing it come in waves. It was pure magic in the sky. Our planet's magnetic field shield was fully engaged in the battle with the fast-traveling particles launched by the sun.