The aurora borealis or northern lights are not something that we see too much of in Glacier Bay. Several conditions have to be met before you can witness something like this. First, the phenomenon has to be occurring. Put simply, this involves particles ejected from the sun entering the earth’s magnetosphere near the poles and this happens occasionally, but far from continuously. Second, it must be dark, which means that for most of the summer months in Alaska, when there is little darkness, there is little opportunity to view the northern lights even if they are active. Finally, you must have a clear sky, which in Southeast Alaska is a rare commodity! In the winter months especially, our skies are obscured frequently by cloud cover. On this February night, it all came together for me in a brief but brilliant display of greens and purples. Photographer: Sean Neilson