Figure 1 – European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst posted this photograph taken from the International Space Station to social media on Aug. 29, 2014.

I found myself Friday night – Saturday getting up groggily several times, staggering across the darkened bedroom, and scanning the night sky looking for the promised aurora borealis.  Never did see it.  The sky was a bit overcast. and I am told that this intermittent search was not the righty way to do.

I have seen them several times in the past, particularly from the coast of Northern Maine and it leaves an amazing impression.  It is something truly magical, a subtle array of glorious dancing color.  And even an understanding of how the rain of solar particles streams in and interacts with the Earth’s ionosphere does nothing to diminish the glory.  Indeed, for me understanding just increases the awe.  And the Northern Lights is an effect that brings back shared primordial sensations of unbridled wonder.

Well, I’d love to share with you an image that I took on Friday night.  But I have none.  I do want to mention however, that here is a case where digital photography with its increased sensitivity with reduced gain and immediate feedback offers an amazing advantage.  Still I would recommend studying up on just how to do it correctly. There is an excellent detailed resource on the web by Patrick J. Endres.

So Saturday morning I scoured the newsmedia in search of images that other people took all around the world and there are some really amazing ones.  And then there are the images like those of Figure 1 taken from the International Space Station showing a top down view of the Aurora Borealis.  This image was posted on social media on August 29th by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst.

So I encourage you to go out and look for these iridescent curtains of light, especially if you live at a high enough or low enough latitude and where the lights of man have not obscured the glory of the Milky Way.  They never ever disappoint.