General questions

I'm not sure you can't. And believe me, seeing the northern lights in Indiana was totally freakish. I've only seen them once.

As I understand it, the northern lights -- at least in the States -- aren't just there to be seen at any time. Atmospheric conditions have to be just right to see them at all.

 

Got ya. I am thinking maybe you can see them in the Idaho panhandle, but I haven't lived there since I was born. As far as Washington, I assume you have to be in an unpopulated place and that would, obviously, not be the Seattle area.

 

My guess is if you're in the Lower 48, you'd need the absolute right conditions and you'd have to be away from any light pollution to see them. If you make a trip up to Alaska, you're in for a treat, although they're best in the fall and later winter, which isn't exactly tourist season.

 

What exactly do they look like?
There is something in West Texas called the Marfa lights, which I attempted to see last summer but I was screwed by a full moon.

http://www.qsl.net/w5www/marfa.html

 

It's trippy. They fuck with you after a while. Never seen anything quite like them, really.

 

That sucks, now I have to add something to my "Things to do and see before I die" list.

 

Without a doubt. I'd really like to see them again. They're the coolest thing I've ever seen in nature besides my prodigous private parts.

 

The ones I've seen have generally had more green in them, but it can basically be any color of the rainbow, I think.

 

Damn, that looks really cool. Now I really want to see them in person.

 

The light and shadow effect is just amazing. It looks as if you're looking at a curtain of light, it could be all white, than you start to see flashes of red, green, etc.

I've never dropped acid, but if acid trips are like the northern lights, I'd do acid in a heartbeat.

 

I've seen them in Eastern Washington. It was very faint, but still pretty cool.

 

"Aurora Borealis? At this time of year ... at this time of day ... in this part of the country... localized entirely within your kitchen?"