I was really hoping to see me some aurora borealis last night but it was either too overcast and rainy or we didn’t get any here in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I’m calling the mayor!
Aurora borealis usually only occurs in locations closer to the North Pole like northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and Russia. Because of a solar storm caused by a cluster of sunspots, dark and cool regions on the solar surface that are flaring and ejecting material every six to 12 hours, the northern lights went south last night, even as far south as Alabama.
The northern lights from the solar storm were seen in Germany, Denmark, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and even New Zealand. It’s even hitting yee-haw states.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a rare warning about the solar outburst because it could disrupt communications and even power grids.
The show is expected to continue through the weekend, so maybe I’ll get another chance to see them. It’s not fair that my son can see them in Mississippi and I can’t see them here.
I posted this joke on social media last night and then realized it could also be a cartoon. Sometimes when I make a joke on social media instead of using it as a cartoon, another cartoonist will steal it. I even had one cartoonist admit it in the past, who was too stupid to realize he was confessing his plagiarism (Ed cough Hall). He never sent me a check.
I have to give a thank you to my baby sister, Sarah. She lives in Indiana and is an amazing photographer. She sent me 14 photos of the lights from the solar storm and I used them as my reference for this cartoon.
Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.
Tales From The Trumpster Fire: I have five copies and you can order yours, signed by me, for $45.00. You can pay through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Knee-Deep In Mississippi: There are only 16 copies left of my first book, published in 1997. These can be purchased for $40.00
Tip Jar: If you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.
Watch me draw:
CLAYTOONZ 
You didn’t get to see them, Clay? Neither did we, here in NORTHERN CANADA! Our skies were filled with smoke from the wildfires burning in our neighbouring province, British Columbia. That’s right, Northern Canada is already burning. Usually we still have snow on the ground this time of year. This year we have flames!
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Sorry to hear you already have fires there. I pray thigs get better soon.
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Oof, I’m sorry, rawgod. I hail from the land of wildfires, California (otherwise known as the land of shake ‘n’ bake). I hadn’t heard that BC was afire already. Yeesh.
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We have fires in here in Alberta too — 67 still burning from last year. And one just 200 kms away in the NorthWest Territories, probably heading our way. Northern Canada is all old-growth forest, it provides almost as much oxygen as the Rainforest in Brazil. At the rate we are losing it lately, the oxygen level in the world will be falling. It is worrisome. Hope you stay safe in California.
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rawgod, wow . . . fires still ongoing from last year! I’ve heard of similar in California, but one involved a massive pile of tires, and another was underground and involved peat.
We live near Seattle these days, in a pretty wooded area that tends to give me pause. When I went outside late last night to see if I could spot any auroras, I smelled smoke. So disconcerting. Came back inside to see if anyone in groups or the news were reporting fires nearby, but not that I could tell.
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People probably have wood fireplaces in Washington.
Winter fires don’t actually burn up here, they do smoulder underground though, without peat. There are centuries worth of dead trees and brush piled on top of each other that hold the heat for 6 months or more, and when the temperatures rise above freezing the fires rise back up too. It’s kinda like if you don’t put out a csmpfire properly the ashes will hold the heat and if new fuel is added on top of the ashes they will start to burn again. The fire just north of us is last year’s fire.
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rawgod, yes . . . people have wood-burning fireplaces here (so do we), but it’s too warm to be using them at the moment. When I smell smoke in winter, it doesn’t bother me since it feels appropriate for the season, and the weather tends to be drizzly. Spring heading into summer heat, the smell of wood smoke makes me nervous.
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Our air is heavy with smoke again today, But it comes from hundreds of miles away — for now.
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Slight correction, New Zealand doesn’t view Northern Lights, they view Aurora Australis (i. e. Southern Lights).
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/article/2024/may/11/spectacular-aurora-australis-might-be-seen-as-far-north-as-queensland-after-extreme-solar-storm
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We (well, not me, I wasn’t paying attention, then forgot to look tonight, too) got to see them here in the Sacramento, CA area, too. Some of my friends got some beautiful photos!
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Mary, I’d heard they could be seen as far south as northern California, and then was gobsmacked when someone posted a spectacular photo from last night, taken in the central valley. There have also been photos from Arkansas and Florida. Absolutely blows my mind! I’ve wanted to see either the Northern Lights or the Southern Lights since I was a kid. I’ve also wanted to go exploring the Great Barrier Reef since childhood, and am sad to learn about so many bleaching events happening down under these days.
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I know! That’s why I sort of forgot about it – just didn’t expect to see it here. But the photos were SO beautiful! Maybe if I can remember, I see if there’s anything to look at tomorrow night. There are all sorts of things I’ve wanted to see, but never had the finances (and now missing the good health) to go exploring. Luckily I have friends who travel a lot and share their photos, so I explore vicariously through them and all the other great photographers and storytellers in the world!
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Glad you said something, RawGod. Had not heard about this and it’s important news. Thank you.
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I agree!
Rawgod, I had no idea about the fires, either. I’m sorry that you’re going through that. As a Californian, I know how awful ongoing fires are and I don’t wish that on anyone. I’ve sure learned a lot about Canada (in many regards) since reading your posts here. Thanks for the education!
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