The Northern Lights Danced Across the Minnesota Sky Last Week

I’ve lived in Minnesota my entire life and have never seen anything quite like this. On the evening of Thursday, March 23rd the Northern Lights were visible with the naked eye across most of the state. A very slight waxing crescent moon and crystal clear skies made spotting the Aurora Borealis super easy, you just had to look up and look north.

I arrived home from work around 9 pm that night and took the dog out around 9:30 pm. Living in a town with so much light pollution I never expected to see the Northern Lights that my friends in rural areas were posting all over Facebook. But much to my surprise I could see them clear as day. I enjoyed them for a few minutes, then went inside to get ready for bed.

I tucked myself in and five minutes later realized I couldn’t miss out on a weather event like this. I jumped out of bed, grabbed my coat and my tripod, and went outside to capture some pictures of the light anomaly, and I am so glad that I did.

Night mode on my iPhone 11 did a great job of capturing the colors dancing across the sky, but watching it with my own eyes was really a sight to behold. It was like staring into a campfire when flames are flickering and flaring, only this was waves of light across the night sky. I have seen the Northern Lights a few times in the past, but it was always a far-off faint green line, it was never like this. I felt like I was in it.

And speaking of being in it, my friend Brandon was actually flying that evening and got to literally be up in the sky as they happened. Here is a pic he took when he was out and about doing that:

On a more personal note, the night the lights were in full force also happened to be the two-year anniversary of my husband’s dad unexpectedly passing away from a heart attack. It was a hard day, and I had been in a pretty sour mood, but once I saw the lights I did have a sense of calm wash over me, and I can’t help but think it was a sign from my father-in-law that everything is ok. I’m sure there’s a much more scientific reason for the lights being so bright, but I’m going to hold on to my own reasoning for it.