Student Blog: Viewing The Northern Lights

Life is full of crazy adventures, and one random Thursday night proved this to be true. On October 10, we had a beautiful display of the northern lights across America. I was lucky enough to be able to view them right on UConn’s campus, and it was truly a sight to behold. Here’s a recap of my incredible evening viewing the lights.

Before the sun set and the northern lights were aglow, I had to work at my part-time job at the dining hall. As soon as my shift was over, I quickly gathered my essentials and bolted to Horsebarn Hill, UConn’s prime viewing spot for celestial events like this. Of course, I happened to be on the opposite end of campus, but I made good timing, getting there in roughly 15 minutes. 

Once I arrived, I could see that there were crowds of people on the hill. It made me happy to see that other people wanted to see the lights as well. They weren't that visible to the naked eye yet, but with my phone’s camera, I was able to capture some cool photos of the lights. At first, they appeared really faint: the colors were visible in the photos, but it wasn’t absolutely breathtaking—not yet, anyway. Still, I was in awe. I missed the Northern Lights display in May, so I was ecstatic that I finally caught it this time. 

Eventually, the night got colder, so cold that I had to wear gloves. After a solid two hours of staring at the sky and admiring the colors I captured with my phone, I decided to head back because the cold had eventually become too much to bear. As I was walking the long trail down the hill, I heard some commotion. I turned around to look up at the sky, and I was amazed by what I saw. Suddenly, the northern lights were visible to the naked eye. Green and pink hues illuminated the sky, creating an incredible view. It was insanely magical, and the photos I captured during this moment were even more amazing. The lights were super radiant and colorful, and I'm glad I have photos that I can always refer to. 

Overall, despite the extremely cold weather, I had an incredible night. It’s moments like these that remind me to appreciate nature’s beauty. It may be easy to take for granted, but there’s a lot of positive aspects in life: you just have to acknowledge them. If you saw the lights, I hope that it was as magical for you as it was for me. If not, there’s always next time!