When the Northern Lights came south

I was among those looking up at the night sky when the Northern Lights came south last Friday night.

I'd seen reports of the geomagnetic storm brewing earlier in the day, but when I opened up the Facebook app that evening to see photos of the phenomena from a handful of friends, I knew I had to see it for myself.

My wife and I hopped in my truck and got on the Natchez Trace Parkway, driving north past Saltillo until we found a clearing free of tree cover on both sides. We pulled over miles away from city lights to give us the best chance of seeing the lights.

We'd noticed a subtle reddish/purplish glow to the night sky as I drove, but when I pointed my iPhone upward I could see the pulsing waves of purple, green and red against the star-dotted horizon, made even more vivid by the long exposure setting for nighttime photography.

We took photos for about 10 minutes, amazed by the opportunity to witness the aurora borealis in the Deep South. I'd always hoped to see the Northern Lights, but I never expected to see them in Mississippi.

Even then, they were barely visible to the naked eye. Mark this down as one occasion I'm glad we all have smartphones.

Natural wonders, and the joy and excitement that experiencing them brings, unifies people and I'm glad we had the chance to feel that joy and excitement together across Northeast Mississippi.