Hacker News Reader

Comment by marginalia_nu | Hacker News Reader

I'm living in aurora country, and not really seeing what's the big deal with some green streaks in the sky.

On the other hand I've heard the point made that if a clear night sky was as rare as northern lights or an eclipse, people would similarly be freaking out about it as a life-changing almost religious primal experience.

It's very easy to take this stuff for granted, I guess is what I'm saying.

View on HN

> On the other hand I've heard the point made that if a clear night sky was as rare as northern lights or an eclipse, people would similarly be freaking out about it as a life-changing almost religious primal experience.

Which of course they are in large cities. And city dwellers often do have such a reaction to a clear night sky in a dark place where you can actually see all the stars.

Haha yeah, I remember a friend of mine from Seoul coming to visit me and looking with wonder at the stars in the night sky. It’s so easy to take these things for granted.

“Nightfall” by Isaac Asimov uses this a premise.

It might even be enough that you’d start trying to list the nine billion names of God…

Can't really agree - I still enjoy a good Aurora display - but of course my bar for "wow" is raised to clear night, little light pollution and being blessed by looking right up into the corona - along with some great colors (not just green).

Last winter I had the good fortune to go for a walk and catching the corona right behind my house (on a side I can't see the sky from inside - due to window placement and trees). Beautiful.

But then I also marvel at a clear starry night...

Aurora

lighting up a cold night

Letting us know

below the horizon

The Sun is shining

8 minutes

one unit away

In the dark

if you've never seen snow in your life, and then see it for the first time, say as an adult, it is quite an experience. same for the wide sea/ocean/beach.

I too live in aurora country (grew up in Northern Alberta), and while it does stop being novel every once in a while it can still surprise. I can still remember a night 20 years ago when the sky was a bright red, stretching from the horizon to directly overhead. It was quite spooky.

I've lived there too, and I can't understand those who don't see the wonder of an amazing Aurora from time to time. Now add to this that the Aurora is a perfect excuse to go do some physics experiments with magnets and lasers. ;) Those tools are the basis for some prediction of bursts of Aurora. That and ofc the visual observation of changes on the surface of the Sun, especially concerning solar flare activity.

I live above latitude 65 degrees so auroras are quite common. Few years ago I had to deliberately go out and seek location without light pollution and watch auroras because I wasn't sure anymore if I had actually seen them live.

Now I atleast remember the delighted screams of tourists that were taking photos there.

It's because it's rare to see them so far south. Normally people would go to Iceland or somewhere to see them.

Bouncing radio waves off them is quite cool.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com