It’s No Waltz Across Texas but the Northern Lights do in Fact Dance Across the Night Sky

Many of you are familiar with the Aurora Borealis (a.k.a. the Northern Lights) but very few have actually witnessed the spectacle that they truly are. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), with affiliates across the country, including up into the Northwest Territories, have on previous occasions been able to film and broadcast video of the Northern Lights across a clear night sky. But recently (February 1) the beauty of it all was posted on the CBC NWT Facebook page as they really did appear to dance across the Northern sky.

David Yau, from Aurora Ninja Photo Tour, is credited with the video, which clearly shows the beautiful lights overhead just outside of the city of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. “Breathtaking” really doesn’t begin to describe it, but that’s the verbiage used by the CBC, and rightfully so. Credited to electrons colliding with the upper levels of the Earth’s atmosphere, they’re predominantly seen at high latitudes. An entire economy of tour companies, photography classes, and vacation packages are developed around the viewing or their natural beauty, and from this video, you can clearly see why!

Light of varying colors and complexities are emitted through the aforementioned electron collision process (a very scientific description of which can be found here) and they’re most clearly seen against a clear night sky, such as the one in this video. The term “Aurora Borealis” was coined in 1619 by the astronomer Galileo, derived from the name for the Roman goddess of the dawn together with the Greek name for the north wind. The majesty of it all is quite unparalleled and a rare sight to Texas eyes, considering our latitudes, but thanks to modern day miracles such as video and the internet, we can see it here from the comfort of home. It’s no waltz, but it’s a beautiful dance nonetheless!