Goddess of the morning red

Ever seen the northern lights?













I grew up in the U.P. I usually saw the northern lights at least twice a year (for hours on end, sometimes weeks) during my entire childhood. They take many shapes: sometimes very pale, ghost-like creatures dancing on top of the stratosphere; sometimes giant, living paint streaks of blue, purple, and red. It's really easy to imagine that some sentient being is trying to communicate with the flashes.

I actually thought that anyone who lived anywhere remotely cold in the northern hemisphere could see the northern lights. It was like our gift for putting up with the bad weather. And I still don't understand why there aren't any southern lights from where the electrons leave their pole.


post script: there are in fact southern lights (aurora australis)! I wonder if you can see them from New Zealand. There are also aurora on Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.