my heart raced as I stood in awe, watching the southern sky erupt into a myriad of colors overhead. My entire field of view was filled with dancing colors from the east, to the south, to the west. I turned around to see how the view was looking to the north. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw what had previously been directly overhead now pulsing down over the Southern Alps. At the same time, a green auroral curtain began to appear right over Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand’s highest peak. This wasn’t my first time witnessing the Aurora Australis from my home in the world’s largest gold-tier dark-sky reserve, but it was undeniably the most breathtaking. To see the aurora with my naked eye from the southern hemisphere, looking to the north, was a rare and privileged experience. And to witness this celestial spectacle morph and dance over the iconic Aoraki/Mount Cook was beyond my wildest dreams. While scientific tools and apps can increase our chances of seeing these lights, I can’t help but wonder what our ancient ancestors must have thought as they stood and beheld the skies ablaze with light! For centuries, indigenous cultures have created their own beliefs around the aurora, describing it as a sacred and mysterious connection to the spirit world. Not surprisingly, a great deal of mythology and legends come from indigenous people living in areas situated within the auroral oval. For example, far up north, the Inuit of the Arctic believe the northern lights are a bridge to the dead, a way to communicate and reconnect with ancestors. The Cree, too, see the Aurora as part of a “circle of life,” believing that the lights connect the living to the dead. Where I’m from in Washington State, USA, the particularly imaginative Makah Indians thought the lights were fires in the north created by a tribe of dwarves who used it to sustain life. In New Zealand, right here where I stand, fire is also at the forefront of the Māori people’s mythology. Māori have their own stories about the southern lights, known as Tahu-nui-ā-Rangi, “the great light of the sky.” To the Māori, the aurora represents the campfires of ancestors who traveled to the farthest reaches of the south, where their presence is still seen as a reminder in the night sky. These stories invite us to see the aurora not just as a phenomenon but as a symbol of connection—a link between the past and present that transcends time and space. But science, too, has its story. The stars must figuratively align for a good show, a factor beyond our control when viewing with the naked eye. If one is fortunate, they’ll witness it the first time they chase it, or by chance, they’ll be in the right place at the right time, just like the first time I ever saw the aurora. In reality, however, many never see it on their first or even second attempt, adding to the thrill of the chase. I’ve been enamored with viewing the aurora since I first observed it where I grew up in Western Washington. Figuring out when to be outside at the right time and place is often when seeing the aurora becomes tricky for a lot of folk. There are an in- credible amount of ongoing scientific discoveries being documented all over the world as we learn more and more about this stunning space weather phenomenon. In fact, TORI HARP AORAKI/MOUNT COOK 43°55’56.0”S 170°11’38.0”E “These stories invite us to see the aurora not just as a phenomenon but as a symbol of connection—a link between the past and present that transcends time and space.”
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MOTHER VOLUME FOUR
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