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2023-04-23

Condition: G5

Location: Home, Spearfish: 44.49, -103.87

5:00PM

6:45PM

9:17PM

9:46PM

My targets for tonight were NGC4631 (Whale Galaxy) and NGC4656 (Hockey Stick Galaxy). It wasn't hard to find them SE of Canes Venatici, however I wasn't able to get more than an detection. The glow of the sky seemed to be more intense tonight than what I was expecting (I was quick to blame the new street lights installed in our neighborhood).

After trying to get a better view of them, I sat back and noticed a stark beam of light shooting straight up from behind Angie's house (from the direction of the closest street light). At this point I was getting angry. I knew that those new lights were almost omnidirectional and would illuminate the tops of the trees in our yard, but to send beams of light straight up is ridiculous! I then looked out to the north over Belle Fourche, and my jaw dropped.

The whole skyline to the north was lit up, and what was more strange was the light appeared to be moving closer. It took me a minute to realize that it must be the northern lights!

None of us had ever seen the Northern Lights before, and this introduction to it was spectacular. As we watched to the north, waves of light seemed to pulse from north to south above our heads through 'wisps' of what could have been mistaken for light clouds. The lights were steadily moving from north to south and passed over our heads out of sight.

I have to admit, that I got choked up and had to fight back tears. The 'wisps' of the lights seemed to spiral into a 'vortex' to the south of Spearfish, and the light was all around. I stood there gazing in a surreal stupor for a good half hour as the effect began to diminish, then I packed up the scope and went to bed.

What a cool night! to see the Northern Lights for the first time. What a blessing!