2024 Lights at night

Living on a farm in Montana offers a daily connection to nature’s quiet beauty. But every so often, nature surprises us with moments so spectacular they feel almost otherworldly. Recently, the night skies above my farm gifted me with one of these—an incredible display of auroras and the rare sight of comet gassing. Here’s a bit about these cosmic wonders and what makes them so magical.

Auroras, also called the northern lights, are like Earth’s way of celebrating the universe. These lights are caused by solar winds—charged particles from the sun—interacting with Earth's magnetic field. When these particles collide with gases in our atmosphere, like oxygen and nitrogen, they create the glowing curtains of light that dance across the sky in hues of green, pink, purple, and even red.

Here on the farm, far from city lights, the auroras appear particularly vivid, weaving a shifting tapestry across the dark Montana sky. It’s one of those breathtaking sights that makes you stop and wonder at just how vast and mysterious the universe really is.

Recently, I caught a glimpse of another cosmic phenomenon—comet gassing. Comets, often called "dirty snowballs," are made of dust, rock, and ices. When a comet passes close to the sun, it heats up and releases gas and dust, forming a glowing halo or "coma" around its nucleus. The gas and dust trail behind it, creating the iconic comet tail.

Seeing a comet “gas” on a clear Montana night was like witnessing the universe in action. The faint streak of light, sometimes enhanced by binoculars or a telescope, carried with it stories of a celestial object from beyond our solar system. It’s mind-blowing to think that, for just a brief moment, the same comet is visible to people all over the world—no matter where they stand.

Witnessing both auroras and comet gassing in the same season has been a reminder of just how lucky we are in Montana. With our wide-open skies and low light pollution, it’s like having front-row seats to nature’s own cosmic theater.

These moments on the farm bring a sense of connection not just to the land and sky here in Montana, but to the universe as a whole. It’s a humbling, awe-inspiring experience that makes me grateful for this slice of sky and soil I call home.