Northern Lights

It had been awhile since there was enough solar activity to spark the Northern Lights into action, but, on this particular night, the sun spit enough charged particles at the earth that is was enough to excite the earths electromagnetic field into the visible light spectrum.
This 10 PM picture was taken from a small lake behind my home near Duluth. In order to capture enough light for the photograph, the shutter was open for 30 seconds.

Northern Lights are a common occurrence in the Polar Regions and are occasionally seen in the Lake Superior Region when a strong magnetic storm temporarily expands the auroral oval. If you're fortunate to be away from city lights, there can be awesome displays on dark moonless nights.

During the Klondike Gold Rush many prospectors believed that the Northern Lights were the reflection of the mother loade of all gold.

God uses the heavens to remind us that we're not alone, that the Creator of the heavens and the earth is here with us, even in the darkness.

The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the people see His glory. Psa 97:6

Evening Ice - Lake Superior

March is a fantastic month to watch nature. Daylight hours are rapidly expanding, wildlife is beginning to move and plants are starting to wake up from a long winters nap. You can't help but notice the changing seasons with a springtime walk along the shoreline of Lake Superior. The colors, climate, and fresh air join together to shout out that a new season has begun.

In this picture, shore ice melts away along with the fading light of day in one last display of winter beauty.

As I stood on the ice crust, I thought how amazing water really is. It is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in all three forms: liquid, gas, and solid and that there is actually the same amount of water on earth now as there was when the earth was created.

Another fascinating property of water is that when it freezes, it becomes lighter, which is why ice floats on water. If God hadn't created water with this unique characteristic, ice would sink and eventually lakes and oceans would freeze solid, making life impossible on earth.

God outfitted this little planet of ours with every provision we need and than gave us an ability to enjoy Him through the work of His creation.

For He draws up the drops of water; they distill rain into mist, which the clouds pour down and drop on man plentifully.
Also can any understand the spreading of the clouds, or the crashing of His canopy?
Behold, He spreads His light on it, and He covers the bottom of the sea. (Job 36)

Winter Remnants - Duluth

Springtime quietly rolled into the northland this year. One day, ice fog shrouded the shoreline in -20F beauty and the next day the ice pack had drifted off shore and the seasons seamed to changed over night.

In this picture, taken from the mouth of the Lester River, the remnants of Lake Superior's ice pack cling to the shoreline on a warm March evening. It was rather comfortable in the 30 degree air and I was able to leave my gloves in the car for the first time this year.

As I stumbled across the ice and rocks in the twilight darkness, floating ice shards clinked together like crystal wind chimes moving in the light surf. The lights of Duluth looked like a golden necklace adorning the shoreline as the light of day faded into the western horizon. I set up my tripod and took this image shortly before the light was gone.

The few people who stopped by to view the ice had long since departed and as I stood on the icy shoreline in the near darkness, the moon and stars revealed themselves as if to take charge of the night shift. I thanked God for the privilege of being able to be here and for the knowledge of Him, who had brought water, ice, sky, and light together into a special moment that would never be exactly the same again.

Walking back to my van, I couldn't help thinking that I had just been to a premier art exhibit, honoring the greatest Master Artist in the universe...and I had.

Psa 97:6 The heavens proclaim His righteousness; every nation sees His glory.

Snow Crystals

The delicate crystal snowflakes form thousands of feet above the ground in winter clouds that contain super cooled water droplets. As the snowflake grows larger, it eventually settles to the ground and lands in a soft white winter blanket.

So why do the clear crystals look white when piled high on the ground? Well, the snowbank you see is actually a whole bunch of individual ice crystals piled together. When a light photon enters the snowbank, it goes through an ice crystal on the top, which changes its direction slightly and sends it on to a new ice crystal, which does the same thing. Basically, all the crystals bounce the light all around so that it comes right back out of the snow pile. It does the same thing to all the different light frequencies, so all colors of light are bounced back out. The "color" of all the frequencies in the visible spectrum combined in equal measure is white, so this is the color we see in snow, even though it is not the color we see in the individual ice crystals.

God often uses the little things of His world to show us how big He is. The next snowfall you experience, grab a magnifying glass and view creation in a whole new light.

He sends His orders to the world—how swiftly His word flies!
He sends the snow like white wool; He scatters frost upon the ground like ashes.
He hurls the hail like stones. Who can stand against His freezing cold?
Then, at His command, it all melts. He sends His winds, and the ice thaws. Psa 147:15