Mike had a big milestone birthday last night (50!!), and we went out to dinner with Henry to celebrate. Then we kept the celebration going by heading outside to see the northern lights for the third (!!!) time this year from our backyard. Mike came out with me early on, but then he snoozed on the couch, so I mostly enjoyed this spectacle by myself. (Henry flatly refused on the grounds that it was too cold and he could just look at the pictures later.) I wrapped up in a blanket and alternated time outside with some warm-up periods on the heated recliner inside. It wasn't as spectacular as May or maybe even August, but every time I see the lights it's magical to me. And this time we got that interesting red streak. It's known as a stable auroral red (SAR) arc, and it's generated from extreme thermal/kinetic energy in the atmosphere. Neat!
