Modern science, of course, has a different explanation. Others thought the lights were torches carried by spirits. Some arctic and subarctic tribes believed the aurora caused head and neck pain. The northern lights have long inspired fascination-and, for some indigenous populations, fear. The storms have the potential to wreak havoc on radio waves and navigation equipment, but for aurora enthusiasts, this is good news. Eruptions known as solar flares drive the solar wind toward the earth, intensifying the aurora and making it more visible. Over the next few years, the sunвЂ™s surface is heading into an active period, an upswing that happens every 11 years on average. And thanks to celestial cycles, now is an ideal time to make the trip. She is not alone witnessing the northern lights ranks high on many localsвЂ™ wish lists. Though Heinz-Query moved to Olympia a few years later, she visits Juneau often and always looks skyward on clear evenings for the aurora borealis. вЂњI can clearly remember falling in love with them, as silly as that sounds.вЂќ вЂњThat Halloween was the first time I recognized that the northern lights were something to be amazed at,вЂќ Heinz-Query says. They watched the ethereal green and yellow dance and swirl in a circle above them, like a laser show from outer space. вЂњThe lights are out,вЂќ her mother shouted. The first (and only) time Juneau native Katrina Heinz-Query remembers seeing the northern lights was on Halloween, when she was 10 years old.

Northern lights tonight washington