On November 11 and 12, the upper United States experienced the Northern Lights firsthand, with naked eye visibility reaching just below Iowa’s southern border.

Families and friends alike went outside to witness the event, with visibility going from the earlier parts of the night to midnight.  At its peak, bright red and green lights filled the night sky.

Waterloo West High students explain what they saw and did that night.

West High senior Zachariah Stephenson witnessed the Northern Lights on the first day of visibility. When sharing how it felt seeing the northern lights in person, Stephenson mentioned that it wasn’t his first time seeing them, yet, “It was incredible to watch the sky come alive in a dazzling light show which honestly made me appreciate our world even more as we are allowed to witness these grand gestures of nature just by stepping outdoors.”

When asked about the difference between the two years, Stephenson mentioned, “Much more vibrant colors this year with the red and green and definitely a lot more active. The entire sky was red and green, last year was more of an isolated and smaller event in the night sky.”

Conversely, senior Teal Quintana had never seen the Northern Lights beforehand. “Seeing them for the first time was kinda life-changing. I love stargazing, so being able to see the northern lights was really special to me, especially since it was visible to the naked eye and you didn’t need any fancy equipment to see them.”

Quintana stated, “ I feel like seeing the northern lights could help people be more appreciative of nature and the beauty of the world. It’s not very often that you get to see the northern lights from Iowa.”

Juniors Mackenzie Johnson and Eva Bell went together to witness the sky change colors. When asked about where they witnessed the event, Johnson stated, “To be honest, I’m not even sure how far we drove; we just kept going until we felt we were far enough away from the light pollution. Once we felt we were far enough from the light pollution, we got out of the car and sat and watched the stars for about an hour, and just talked and watched the stars and the northern lights.”

Interestingly enough, Bell also showed concerns for the effects of poor urban planning on the Northern Lights, mentioning, “This was my first time seeing the northern lights, and for me, seeing the lights made me realize how beautiful the sky is at night. It also made me realize how much light pollution affects what I can and can’t see in the sky at night, because I wasn’t able to see the lights from my house, but when I was able to get to an area with less light pollution, I could see them pretty clearly.”

As those who attended looked into the sky, it made them realize how much beauty the world has in store.