Auroras dazzle onlookers at Ringtown overlook
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Silhouetted by the aurora borealis at the Ringtown Valley Scenic View are, from left to right, Sherry Streeter, Shenandoah; Carol Twardzik, Frackville; and Ryan Twardzik, Frackville; on April 24, 2023.
UNION TOWNSHIP – Around midnight, clouds broke and unveiled a stunning show of dancing red and green pillars in the northern skies over the Ringtown Valley.
At the Ringtown Valley Scenic View, two minutes from Shenandoah, several onlookers, one who came from as far away as Lancaster County, had stopped by to try to catch a glimpse of the northern lights, having seen Sentinel posts about the spectacle earlier in the night.
The Space Weather Prediction Center had forecast a geomagnetic storm, with a Kp Index near 8, for Sunday. The Kp index measures the strength of a geomagnetic storm on a scale of 0 to 9. Generally a Kp of 6 or above comes with the chance the aurora borealis being visible in Schuylkill County.
Around 9pm, and until cloud cover blocked the north sky, they were, and the Sentinel captured them, posting photos to social media.
Shaylee Malinowski, of Ashland, along with Carol and Ryan Twardzik, both of Frackville, and a man from Lancaster County saw those posts and came up to the scenic view around midnight to try to see the lights.
The northern lights at that point were visible to the naked eye, with pillars crossing the sky across the valley.
Carol Twardzik described the “dancing pillars of light emanating from behind the clouds.”
“Red and green flashes, shimmers of color in the sky,” Ryan Twardzik told the Sentinel. “Really cool.”
“It’s so exciting,” Carol Twardzik said of getting to see the auroras in Schuylkill County.
Both said they had never seen the auroras before.
“I’ve always wanted to, and now I didn’t have to travel very far to see it,” Carol Twardzik said.
Malinowski said she’d always wanted to see the lights as well, and nearly left until others arrived with the same purpose.
“Your eyes definitely have to adjust, but behind the clouds, the dancing of lights, literally,” Malinowski said. “You start seeing streaks through the sky, it gets brighter and it gets darker.”
“You can see the tints of green and red,” Malinowski added. “It’s fascinating. It made my night. It’s beautiful.”
The auroras had been seen Sunday night as far south as Shenandoah, Virginia, according to social media posts. This is the third time this year that the lights have been visible in northern Schuylkill County.
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