Pink Floyd and the Northern Lights

Clear Sky Supernova #1  © the cinemascapist

Aurora Borealis, more commonly called the Northern Lights, is a natural version of the Pink Floyd Laser shows that you saw as a kid at your local science center. And if you have Glaucoma or are going through Chemo therapy, I have been told that Northern Lights and Floyd laser shows are both significantly enhanced through a prescribed medicine.

Science centers are found all over the planet, but your chances at catching a Northern Lights show are between slim and none if you live much lower than the Canadian border. I've had the opportunity to spot them a few times up here in the Adirondack Mountains because of the clear skies, unpolluted by artificial light, and the 20 below zero night-time temperatures.

But good news might be coming to folks that hail from cities like New York, Boise, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Portland, Des Moines, and others along a similar latitude. In three to four months, our sun is going to completely flip it's magnetic poles from north to south. No cause for alarm though, this won't turn our world upside down or end life on earth. This process happens every 11 years or so.

The last flip happened in 2000 and the resulting flares and convulsions from the sun may have disrupted a few cell phone calls and pay-per-view UFC matches, but that was the extent of it. But scientist predict that this next Solar Maximum (as the process is called) will be the strongest in a very long time. If this reversal is anything as large as the 1859 Solar Maximum that spewed flares so intense that they bombarded our atmosphere and were seen as far south as Italy, then I suspect that residents in the cities cited above will have a good chance at seeing this awe-inspiring natural phenomenon.

So keep your ears posted for news on the reversal (NASA.gov and Sciencemag.org are two good sources) and make sure your iPod has plenty of Pink Floyd tunes to accompany your viewing party. Glaucoma and chemo patients should also stockpile medicine for the event.