Sun Spotting

Is the Aurora Borealis a Beautiful Wonder or a Portent of Doom?

The Los Angeles basin, home to nearly 20 million people (including me), is also home to many millions of LED lights that shine throughout the night. Due to their brightness and our low latitude (just 34° north), local residents who’ve seen the aurora borealis (figure 1) likely traveled much closer to one of the poles to capture the spectacle. I once caught a good view from a few miles east of Pasadena in 1989—a dimly glowing, motionless red spot about 30 times larger than the Moon’s diameter in the sky.