Tuesday night was clear as I took Babs outside. We had set the alarm for 1:30 to check for auroras, but it had not gone off yet, so I knew it was before that.
As I looked to the heavens, the brilliant stars were out in force, the Milky Way running down the middle of the sky. Shadowed trees stood stately, pointing up as if to tell me I was in for something special. I noticed a little wisp of white, and then looked down the valley to realize the aurora was already there.
I summoned Don to come look, and just as he came outside, I whispered (loudly - is it possible to whisper screamingly? I think I did) "Look at that. Hurry up, or you will miss it!" When he confirmed that we were looking at an aurora, I ran to get Chris and Katie, though Katie took some encouragement. I told her I thought sleep is overrated, but she does not agree.
Anyway, although it was slow to start, it soon began to put on quite a show. Don figured out how to use his camera and although the first picture was not too good, he improved!
After Katie and Chris left, we stayed out a little longer to get a few more photos. The aurora was leaping and rolling, sending spires into the air.
When we looked at the picture on Wednesday, I was surprised that they showed the aurora to be green with some purple. Funny. All I saw was white. The camera was better able to gather the light spectrum, and therefore, the pictures were more in line with what the aurora really looked like.
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