Those of you who know me know that I’m a huge northern lights aficionado, with the highlight for my 2024 birthday being a trek to Fairbanks this spring, where we caught the most amazing light show of aurora for 6 out of the 7 days we were there. It was unbelievable, and I felt like I was in a fairyland. Fast forward to October 2024 in Montana, when everyone was all abuzz with expectations of once-in-a-lifetime aurora show, which some were forecasting to last all week long. Well, while in Fairbanks aurora hunting, we were educated on how the majority of apps forecast (which is heavily weighted towards a high KP index), versus the reality of what markers to watch (the high KP is one of the least important markers), so we saved ourselves a few late nights sleep by not buying all the hype the first couple days. Then the magic happened mid-week! The KP wasn’t that high to begin with, but everything else was in line, including a giant drop in the BZ, which opens up the atmosphere to electromagnetic particles sneaking into our atmosphere, heavily contributing to the most dizzying light shows.
My boyfriend and I got ready and jetted outside, to be warmly welcomed by pink and blue and green and purple lights all around, even though it was just becoming dark! We snapped a few shots at our house, then headed to friends who live on a hill in north Kalispell, with an outstanding near-360 view that flows from Big Mountain, past Bad Rock Canyon, and southward down the Flathead Valley. From the pinnacle of their beautiful property, pink, blue, green, and even occasionally purple lights danced and teased, swarmed around us, again and again, and we could easily see all of it with the naked eye. We were all in heaven! In the lull that followed that first light show, Brett and I decided to head to our new property on the west side of Whitefish, where we were hopeful the hill to the northeast of the property wouldn’t obscure out aurora’s view. Boy, were we surprised when a symphony of lights blew up again only moments after we arrived at our place. There was a perfect backdrop in the dipped valley directly to our north, to gather a million pictures (ok, maybe only a few hundred!) as Lady Aurora danced and cajoled for hours. Everywhere we turned, different colors and patterns abounded, and we couldn’t get enough of it!
As the evening hours melded into morning, not only did the waves of colors continue, but northern lights of a different kind joined the fun, and we were treated to an aurora phenomenon called “chorus lights”, which I had only had the luck of seeing once before. This phenomenon presents as roving, pulsating flashes of white lights behind and in the aurora, and when intense enough, you can actually hear them, which I did! How crazy to think Mother Nature not only brought us the beautiful lights, but also complimented it with song? According to NASA, chorus waves are not actually sound waves. The waves move through the plasma, rippling through particles trapped with the Earth’s magnetic environment, shaking some particles loose to fall into our atmosphere, and it’s completely hypnotic. Such an amazing treat!
I’m including photos with this blog, so you can enjoy, and if you want to download an app that will prepare you for seeing the northern lights, download Space Weather Live, and then learn how to read the data. Once you’re in the know, you’ll be hooked!
This is the final year of the high cycle for aurora, which only happens about every 10-11 years, so grab your camera, watch the sky, and happy hunting!
Carmen
Broker/Owner, Touchstone Real Estate
Whitefish, Montana
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