I’d always wanted to see the aurora borealis, and this year I’ve seen it twice. Northern Lights in the Ozarks are pretty rare to see.
How did this Happen?
These colors are the result of the electrons from the sun passing through the earth’s magnetic field and colliding with gasses in upper atmosphere. The various colors are caused by the various gasses those electrons are interacting with. The reason we don’t see them every year has to do with the sun’s activity level. Right now, the sun is at solar maximum, and therefore the lights are visible in a wider area than they normally are.
Northern Lights in the Ozarks 2024
This was the second time this year that we were able to see the colors of the aurora borealis from here at Wild Ozark. This time, the color was more difficult to see without the camera, but I had learned the last time that if I took a pic at random times, then I would be able to detect when they started.
Once the sun set and the moon began to rise, I started going outside for a test photo. At first there was nothing unusual and I began to think the color might not make it southward enough for us to see them this time.
However, around 1945, one of my photos showed a deep purple and slightly pink glow! At this point I couldn’t see a difference with my eyes. It only showed up in the camera. But this started a picture-taking marathon and I got a lot of photos as the Northern Lights in the Ozarks show began.
Soon, the pink became brighter to a fuchsia hue. I could see it faintly without the camera, but it still wasn’t so obvious I would have noticed if I hadn’t been aware they could be there that night. To get the best pics, the camera needed to be set on night-time exposure. I tried using a tripod, but had the forward camera on, and it wouldn’t capture them at all. Only the rear camera could do it.
The fuchsia grew brighter and made a wide band of color through the deep purple. After about 20 minutes or so, the deep purple returned and the pinkness diminished. I think the colors returned in the early am hours, but I was fast asleep by then and didn’t wake up to go see them again.
Bucket List Checks
I’d always wanted to see the Northern Lights, and this year I’ve seen them twice. I think that’s pretty nifty. Now I’d still like to see them in a more northly latitude so the colors would be brighter without needing the camera, but I feel fairly satisfied to have seen them at all. That’s bucket list check number 1.
Check number 2 goes to Rob, for completing his solar array project AND getting the commission from the power company to bring it online. So now we are live with solar power, and feeding excess back to the utility company.
An Omen or Portent?
All cultures in areas where these lights are common have mythology and beliefs surrounding them. Most of them are considered to be good omens. Christian ones tend to see them as evil, or indicative of God’s displeasure.
There is one portent attached to them that feels appropriate for this particular time in my family life, an omen of battle or war. Even the night that these appeared, on October 10, 2024, is particularly appropriate. While I can’t go into the details, this mother is on the battlefield. I’m thinking strategically, and paying attention to the signs that act as guideposts along the way.
When these first appeared in May, had I paid attention to these things, I would have been more prepared before the first shots were fired in this symbolic battle underway now.
ABOUT
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Madison Woods is the pen-name for my creative works. I’m a self-taught artist who moved to the Ozarks from south Louisiana in 2005. My paintings of Ozark-inspired scenes feature lightfast pigments from Madison county, Arkansas. My inspiration is nature – the beauty, and the inherent cycle of life and death, destruction, regeneration, and transformation.
Roxann Riedel is my real name. I’m also salesperson for Montgomery Whiteley Realty. If you’re interested in buying or selling in Madison or Carroll county, AR, let me know! You can see the properties that I blog about at WildOzarkLand.com.
Wild Ozark is also the only licensed ginseng nursery in Arkansas. Here’s the link for more information on the nursery
P.S.
There’s always a discount for paintings on the easel 😉
Here’s my Online Portfolio
And, Click here to join my mailing list.
Contact Mad Rox: (479) 409-3429 or madison@madisonwoods and let me know which hat I need to put on 🙂 Madison for art, Roxann for real estate, lol. Or call me Mad Rox and have them both covered!
https://www.youtube.com/@wildozark
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Author/Artist Info
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I make Paleo Paints from the lightfast pigments foraged from Madison county, Arkansas, creating under the pseudonym Madison Woods. Most of the colors I use comes from rocks gathered from our own creeks here at Wild Ozark. I outsource titanium for white, lapis for blue, and grow garden thyme for yellow.
My inspiration is nature – the beauty, and the inherent cycle of life and death, destruction and regeneration. My work is a partnership with the land. Immersing in her color, absorbing inspiration, taking communion. A painting begins with a foray to collect rocks, soot and bone. Each pigment, alone a portrayal of beauty, combined in a painting, becomes a whole reflection of the very soul of the Ozarks.
My Portfolio is HERE
Click here to join my mailing list.
I’m also a REALTOR® with Montgomery Whiteley Realty, under my real name Roxann Riedel. If you’re thinking of moving to the Ozarks of Arkansas and would like me to be your Buyer’s Representative, email, text, or call me at (479) 409-3429! And if you’re moving away from or selling property in Madison, Newton, or Carroll county, I’m happy to be your Listing Agent.