Gazing with wonder at the northern sky

Tonight when we went to the lab on the tundra I sat in the snow gazing with wonder at the northern lights.  The aurora would change in an instant, so you couldn’t take your eyes away.  Bright green streaks cascading across the entire sky that looked so close to you that you thought you throw a baseball and hit them, as Kyle described it.  Some of the most vibrant displays were directly overhead because we are so far north!  Here are some photos of the awe-inspiring experience:

Twilight at the lab with the full moon

Bright aurora with the full moon

If you look closely, you can see the constellation Orion on the right!

The aurora is forecast to be even stronger tomorrow night, so stay tuned!

Bonus - Conversation of the Day:

Kerri: “You know – it’s warmer today.”

Kyle: “Yeah, it is.”

Kerri: “Well, I guess the weather online did say that it was only -20F with a wind chill of -30F this afternoon.  Makes sense!”

Kyle: “You know it’s cold when we think -20F is warm!  We’ll be glad Indiana isn’t further south when we go back!”
(We've been in Barrow for nearly 3 weeks now and have often experienced wind chills of -50F!)