The “The Phoenix” Experience
It was hailed as the best aurora show in a decade. The sun unleashed a massive solar flare in early November 1998, and the resultant geomagnetic storm lasted 2-1/2 nights. Outlandish auroras graced the skies across Alaska, Canada, and the northern Lower 48. It was the big one!
I was caught in the "storm."
somewhere in the Alaska Range along the Richardson Highway north of Paxson. I have never seen anything of this magnitude before. They were rippin'!!
One breathtaking highlight occurred when a purple and green corona fanned out straight above me and radiated streams of light through the moonlit sky... like the wings of the legendary firebird, perhaps.
Note: This photo was first released in 1998 and then retired in 2002... then re-released in 2007.
"The Phoenix" rises again!
