{"id":157,"date":"2024-06-20T12:05:36","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T17:05:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/?p=157"},"modified":"2025-12-30T16:06:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T21:06:47","slug":"the-lasting-wonder-of-mays-incredible-auroras","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/2024\/06\/20\/the-lasting-wonder-of-mays-incredible-auroras\/","title":{"rendered":"The lasting wonder of May’s incredible auroras"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I can still see them when I close my eyes. Emerald greens shimmering on the horizon. A subtle sea of red tinting the night sky. Pillars of light flickering above my head like a spotlight on the constellations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catching a glimpse of the once-in-a-lifetime auroras on May 10, 2024, was an unforgettable moment for any skywatcher. But I had the great fortune of more than a glimpse\u2014it was an entire show that seemingly evolved without end. I stood outside for a solid 90 minutes that night to watch a sight I never thought I’d see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Much of my current life is the result of sheer luck. My career started when a friend happened to catch a tweet advertising a job for a weather blog. A dog taught me how to ride my bike. (That’s another story for another time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crystal clear skies in the middle of a North Carolina spring night\u2014perfectly timed with the most intense solar storm in living memory\u2014presented another pang of luck that left an indelible mark on my soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I wrote about the experience the following day over at The Weather Network<\/a>, detailing what it was like to see the northern lights so far south. That was less than 24 hours after the event, though. I was still stunned by what I’d just witnessed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sense of wonder has only grown in the 41 days since that incredible night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There aren’t many singular moments in my life that I can point to and truly call “clarifying.” The auroras were one of those earthshaking events, an awe I’ve yet to shake\u2014and I hope I never do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’ve been incredibly open about suffering from depression for the past couple of years. Missing the full glory of the once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse just a month earlier really kicked my depression into high gear. I’d been stewing for weeks by the night of the auroras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But standing outside beneath those intensely clear and colorful skies seemed to flip a switch deep within my brain. I felt like I could breathe for the first time in months. I’m not ashamed to admit that it moved me to tears more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, I ripped off a couple of mental bandaids that I knew would make my depression easier to manage but I’d avoided forever out of fear and hopeless hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staring at the moon and distant stars against the night sky have always filled me with a sense of humble awe. Watching the International Space Station glide overhead still makes me smile and giggle like a little kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But those auroras. Nothing can compare to the absolute joy of seeing streaks of otherworldly lights fill our night sky. I’ve gazed up with admiration since I was a little kid to take in clouds and blue hues and starry nights alike. Capturing that brief moment of living history only strengthened my love for the world around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s been more than a month since that unforgettable night of astronomical wonder. I’m better off and more fulfilled than I have been in years all because of that brief moment of luck and natural beauty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I can still see them when I close my eyes. Emerald greens shimmering on the horizon. A subtle sea of red tinting the night sky. Pillars of light flickering above my head like a spotlight on the constellations. Catching a … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,15],"tags":[14,11,13],"class_list":["post-157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature","category-skies","tag-auroras","tag-nature","tag-outdoors"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":163,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157\/revisions\/163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wxdam.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}