Today we’ll take a cruise in hopes that we’ll get our first glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights.
The oldest known auroral sighting was written in 2600 B.C. in China: "Fu-Pao, the mother of the Yellow Empire Shuan-Yuan, saw strong lightning moving around the star Su, which belongs to the constellation of Bei-Dou, and the light illuminated the whole area." Thousands of years later, in 1570 A.D., a drawing of the aurora depicted candles burning above the clouds.
In 1619 A.D., Galileo Galilei coined the term "Aurora Borealis" after Aurora, the Roman goddess of morning. He had the misconception that the auroras he saw were due to sunlight reflecting from the atmosphere.
It is believed Ezekiel may have seen the Northern Lights
Ezekiel 1:4
As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.
Perhaps David did too.
Psalm19:1
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.
We’ll have multiple opportunities to see the Northern Lights, and I’m optimistic we will. When we do, I know we’ll be inspired by the creator of the universe, the one that created light, and his son, the light of the world.