Word: Aurora

 

Aurora

[ uh-rawr-uh, uh-rohr-uh ]

 

noun, plural au·ro·ras, au·ro·rae [uh-rawr-ee, uh-rohr-ee] for defs. 2, 3.

1. the ancient Roman goddess of the dawn.Compare Eos.

2. (lowercase) dawn.

3. (lowercase)Meteorology. a radiant emission from the upper atmosphere that occurs sporadically over the middle and high latitudes of both hemispheres in the form of luminous bands, streamers, or the like, caused by the bombardment of the atmosphere with charged solar particles that are being guided along the earth's magnetic lines of force.

4. a city in central Colorado, near Denver.

5. a city in NE Illinois.

6. a female given name.

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               The air was cold and clear, as was the sky. But it was not dark. The sky was lit up with a dazzling display of colors. The ever-shifting greens, reds and yellows seemed like a grand celestial dance. And there were only two men around to view it for miles in any direction.

               One of them looked up, taking in the splendor of the the aurora. He barely blinked, as if afraid to miss even a second of the lights. The second man was more interested in the computer and equipment he had brought with him.

               “Man, how can you look at that screen when you have all this going on?” The first man asked, spreading his arms to the sky.

               The other man looked up for a moment, then turned his attention back to the screen. “Yes, very pretty. Now be quiet. I don’t want anything to disturb the equipment while it’s running.”

               “Come on, how often can you say you’ve seen the Northern Lights? Unless you live around here, it’s not the kind of thing you can just go and see. Come, share the moment with me. Your experiment will still be there when it’s over.”

               The scientist huffed and ignored the sky watcher. He hit a few keys on the computer. The equipment let out a low hum that was drowned out by the night breeze.

               “If I really wanted to see a light show, I’d watch a video of it.” He said.

               “It’s not the same and you know it. It’s more than just the lights. It’s the place. The wind, the stars, the smells and feel of the ground. That’s something you can’t get from a video.”

               “Better than being out here in the freezing cold. If I could run this experiment remotely, I wouldn’t be here.”

               “Well, you are here. You might as we make the most of it.”

               The scientist made no move to turn his head towards the sky. If anything, he buried it deeper in the static glow of the screen.

               “Hey,” the sky watcher said after a few moments. “Does that experiment need constant attention? Is it time sensitive?”

               “What?”

               “Will it fail if you aren’t constantly monitoring it?”

               “Well, no, but—”

               “If something does go wrong, does it matter? Do you have a strict time limit that means it has to be done now, on this very night?”

               “No, I suppose not.”

               “Will anything change if you step back for a moment? Will it change anything if you turn the screen off?”

               “As long as it’s just the screen, no.”

               “Then take a break, my friend. Not even you can work all night without a break. Come and join me as I watch one of the greatest shows of nature.”

               “If I do, will you stop bothering me?”

               “Of course.”

               The scientist put his computer on idle, letting the screen go black while it still ran. His steps were heavy as he joined the sky watched on the cold ground. He leaned back and looked at the swirling kaleidoscope of color that covered the sky. And the two men sat in silence, watching the lights dance across the sky.

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I am not very well traveled. There are many things I haven't seen. One of that very long list is indeed the Northern Lights. Maybe some day I'll go and see them. Maybe.