For years I have dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, but I figured I would need to travel north to do so. To be honest, I was very skeptical of yesterday’s predictions that we might have the opportunity to see them in East Tennessee. Imagine my surprise when my husband woke me up from a deep sleep to join him outside for the light show. My grumpy frustration over being awakened quickly turned to joyful excitement over the glorious display before my eyes! To quote Anna from Frozen, “The sky’s awake, so I’m awake, so we have to play!”
As my husband and I stood in our backyard gazing heavenward in the unseasonably cool air, we were astounded by the neon streaks of pink, purple, and green light in the cloudless sky. It’s difficult not to think of Psalm 19:1 during such a time:
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
While the beauty of the colorful night sky alone is enough to point to God’s glory, an understanding of the science behind the Northern Lights makes this particular display of his glory even more amazing. The neon colors are produced when powerful blasts of solar radiation interact with hydrogen and oxygen as they are intercepted by Earth’s magnetic field. Without that interception, life on Earth could not exist. Therefore, the colorful light show is not only a lovely sight, but it is also a revelation of God’s finely tuned protection of life on Earth. Those magnificent hues are actually necessary for our survival.
My physics students recently completed their last two units of the school year. Providentially, those two units were magnetism and light. We specifically discussed the Northern Lights and their display of God’s protection, but I had no idea we would have the opportunity to see them in person so soon. As we wrapped up the final unit on light, one student wrote something profound in her biblical integration journal: “God purposefully created laws of light to reflect himself so we could know more about him. How great is it that we serve a God that shows himself to us in such cool ways.” He certainly showed himself to us in a cool way last night!
Viewing the Northern Lights was a bucket list item for me. What an amazing gift that I was able to see them in my own backyard in East Tennessee last night! What an even greater gift that God sustains our lives and protects us in such powerful ways! Who knew hydrogen and oxygen mixed with magnetism and blasts of solar radiation could be such a colorfully beautiful reminder of God’s protective hand? The sky above truly proclaims his handiwork!
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