Sun spots

In honor of yesterday's summer solstice...

The magnetic fields of the sun are complicated and unpredictable, kind of like life. A manifestation of these variable magnetic fields are sun spots, marks that in a sense mar the sun’s fiery surface like “solar blemishes” if you will. Sunspots are actually evidence of fierce winds, as well as massive explosions called solar flares.

My VERY limited understanding is these explosions discharge some sort of magnetic energy that sends charged particles shooting into the earth’s atmosphere where they interact with the gases present there, thus causing an intensified and enhanced glow of the aurora borealis…yup, the magnificent northern lights! I’ve never seen them in real life, but photographs portray haunting, achingly beautiful light dancing in the velvet night sky – a sight to behold and one I do hope to see some day.

All this got me to thinking...in reality, the most magnificent displays of the northern lights are created from what could be perceived as some rather harsh imperfections upon the otherwise radiant face of a shining star. Yet without those very same brutal flaws a thing of incredible and unique beauty would be diminshed.

Imagine that.

Have a sunny day :)