Aurora Borealis

Mike Hollingshead is s storm chaser from Nebraska. Just came across some of his amazing aurora images via digg. They sure look unreal! For thos of you who didn’t know, Aurora is a glow in the night sky. It is also known as “aurora polaris” or in northern latitudes, as “aurora borealis” or “northern lights”. It is caused by electrons of typical energy obtained by the electrons passing through a voltage difference. The light is produced when they collide with atoms of the upper atmosphere. Here are some of Mike’s photographs, but be sure to visit his website for whole-lot-more of them! Image below gave me impression of a Ghost Ship comming out of the fog!








133 Replies to “Aurora Borealis”

  1. This is beautiful design by God, created for us to marvel at. Yes it’s solar wind and the earth’s magnetic field, but who designed that beauty? You telling me it came about by chance? That’s like telling someone the watch on your wrist came about by chance. What about the ultimate beautiful precise time piece – our solar system….chance or design? I love thinking it over.

  2. god had nothing to do with those it’s ONLY solr wind and the earth’s magnetic feild . you all are idiot’s

  3. Perhaps if this picture were labled “Oppinionate yourself on Religion”, all of your guys’ uselsess ignorant comments would be appreciated… so the guy said “a beautiful creation by God”… woopty doo… it is totally beautiful regardless. things like that just don’t happen by chance ;)

  4. christian411 is right…
    angle eyes….if god dint creat all of earths magnetic field…we wouldent have it would we now?…..and…shut up pete…but i have a question…how is this an illusion…i dont know…but its cool…and i would like to see it one day..probably when i travel around the world after collige…hee hee hee…but isn’t God wonderful?
    =^.^=

  5. everyone deserves their opinion about a weighted topic like that, but we should try not to bring it up here. it will just be an endless discussion. im an athiest but if you want to believe that God created that then go right ahead. I’d prefer you not to be rude about it, as im sure you’d prefer me not to be too.

  6. c’mon people… let’s leave God out of this…
    He’s busy enough trying to figure out song
    selections for your iPods when you’re on
    Shuffle Mode.

  7. The Aurora Borealis phenomenon certainly provokes a varied response from people!? There’s definitely design there, precise design. Angel eyes!? Who made your eyes!?! Two of them, seeing the full colour of solar winds hitting the magnetosphere etc, able to automatically focus without any conscious thought on all that beauty?? Everything in our solar system is surely maintained by a creator with vast & incredible intelligence. Our precise distance from the sun, we don’t freeze, nor do we get incinerated. The precise rotation speed of our planet & the precise gravity of 1g that isn’t too weak that we float off, nor too strong that the earth actually crushes us to the floor. The 23 degree tilt giving us our amazing four seasons. All the above and so much more we’re still learning about are all constantly maintained to preserve life, who is behind all that? When was the last time Earth bumped into Venus or Mars while flying through space at about 18 miles a second, rotating at just over 1000mph?! You go stand on the north pole & you’ll give Michael Jackson something to think about when it comes to your rotation speed!? Get your brain chewin on things!!!!

  8. it is amazing what people think of when they see something like that… God, magnetic field reactions, beauty, purely incredible

    on the whole religion issue, it is easier to prove that there is a God than to disprove it (to disprove God, you must be in every single place at the same time to show that God isn’t there, and if you could do that you would be essentially god)

    what is the universe expanding into?

  9. “this is a creation of God. just b-cause you dont belive doesnt mean it isn’t true.”

    “this is a natural and understood event. just b-cause you believe got did it doesn’t mean it’s true”

  10. It’s reason’s like this that so many wars are started over religion. We all have our beliefs, and have a right to believe in those beliefs; whatever they may be. But the one thing we all agree on is that this occurance is amazing, visually. Granted this is what stirs up emotions, which makes us human in the first place.

    I am amazed at what the pictures look like. To experience this sight in life is something I know I have always wanted to do.

  11. First of all, Brad, don’t be so concieted.
    Second of all, you are right if you say we cannot prove God exsists scientifically. We also cannot prove Abe Lincoln exsisted either. Scientifically. Sure, we know he was alive, but that is only through historical accounts. Same thing with God.
    Thirdly, I’ve seen this, and the weird thing is, it was in Ohio! It was amazing. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! It’s amazing and beautiful!

  12. “We also cannot prove Abe Lincoln exsisted either. Scientifically. Sure, we know he was alive, but that is only through historical accounts. Same thing with God.”

    You can’t compare God with Abraham Lincoln. He’s just a bloke who got shot in the head. You can find his corpse in his grave. Historical accounts prove there was a person called Abraham Lincoln, which is very much scientifical proof.

    God on the other hand is a dubious matter at best because there are many many arguments in favour and against him.

    Having that said, I’d like to comment to Michael’s comments:

    “Angel eyes!? Who made your eyes!?! Two of them, seeing the full colour of solar winds hitting the magnetosphere etc, able to automatically focus without any conscious thought on all that beauty?? Everything in our solar system is surely maintained by a creator with vast & incredible intelligence. Our precise distance from the sun, we don’t freeze, nor do we get incinerated.
    …”
    etc

    Purely scientifically speaking, this is sheer and stupid luck. Considering the absurd and sheer size of the universe as we know it today, there probably are planets constantly crashing into each other or getting burned up by the sun and THAT’S WHY LIFE ON PLANETS IS SO UNIQUE. You need very delicate factors to sustain life as it is. Mars is a pretty good example, should there be fossils of bacteria found there, it means it was a remote candidate for life but the aggressive factor differences made it inhabitable at best. Not to mention a lack of atmosphere.

    Lord knows (pun unintended) how many earth-like situations there really are. Lord knows how many universes there were before this one. Did you know there’s a theory going on that the universe explodes and collapses in a series of events, that the current ‘big bang’ and the exponentially expanding universe (which according to this theory will implode again at a certain age like stretching an elastic might when it’s released) is just one of billions in our past or future? That when everything comes together again as a super super mega massive centre, the whole circus starts all over again?

    There sure is a lot to discover about life and the universe. Just because we’ve reached a certain level of intelligence does not mean we can interpret it all correctly. I haven’t even covered string theories yet, a complete nightmare to explain.

    What is inevitable to discuss (even the nay-sayers in this topic will agree) that religion as is (not limited to Christianity) has had its impact on our lives and is therefore not to be neglected. I’m fully aware that religion can cause nothing but aggrivation and tension between non-believers or -heaven forbid- people of different religions as we see today, but still there’s something passive about a religion. I just get real edgy when people stare at something like for instance this aurora borealis and declare it act of God. It is what it is — a pure case of several factors coinciding. I just refuse to accept something designed this fireworks out of free will is all.

  13. Well David, that is your problem if you get real edgy about what other people believe, not ours. And just because you dig some guy up out of a grave, that does not mean that you have scientifically proved that he exsisted. You need DNA proof, and I don’t think that we have Abe’s DNA from when he was alive. Therefore, we are NOT able to prove anything about a person exsisting or not unless we have their DNA from when they were alive.

  14. Yes we need DNA to prove someone’s existence, but what does it matter? Do I need DNA and scientific proof to know my dad’s grandparents were alive? No, I know they were– my dad tells stories, my grandparents CREATED my dad. That will account as sufficient proof and is arguably scientific proof because these people were perceived by all possible senses by the observer, in this case my father.

  15. Dang … I love the Northern Lights, they’re awesome, BUT CAN WE PLEASE LEAVE GOD OUT OF THIS?! Nutty people!!! (By the way I’m atheist and proud to be it, but this is a stupid discussion that’s going on.) And the Northern Lights aren’t really an illusion …

  16. OK… Why don’t we just say, “I just love what God can do” or “I just love what solar winds can do” rather that berat each other and get into a huge arguement that will won no one over to your side.
    And by the way, I love what God can do.

  17. those of u who dont bbelive in him please go to a church for one sunday if u hate u dont have to go back but i garentee u will love

  18. Woah! this is really getting edgy haha. well all you people that are so stuck on the fact that these northern lights are pure science need to kinda open your eyes… i agree that these lights are happening by science and in heart they are science. but think… you created this science, who created these wonders. the science behind it is very certain and definite and i agree with that, God made a way to use the electrons to create these lights, just as he made the earth on a tilt to get 4 seasons for the farmers to grow crops.

    The science is true but who is behind the science…. GOD

  19. gee, im an atheist, but heres my opinion
    if a whole ton of people believe that god exists, than maybe he does, its basically a “majority rules” thing, for example, the majority of the world believes honest abe existed, so he exists, maybe its just me, usually unproven facts are decided on what the majority of the people think

  20. okay there is alot of controversy over this. and it is important for people to stand their ground. but to be honest there is a difference between standing your ground and shoving your beliefs down somebody else’s throat. i am a christian and i belive that God did create every thing around us. BONGO: you said, “if you can prove unicorns don’t exist, I’ll believe in your god.” if you can prove that they DO exist, who made them? they didn’t just magicly appear one day and decide to hide so that everyone thinks they are fake. NASCAR Mommy: why do you think God is a girl? i believe that God is a man. there is proof in the bible that God is a man. im very intrested in seeing why you think the way you do. B RAD: it is very conceded of you to say that you are God. if you were God you would know everyone and everything that is going on right now and God is not conceded and he is loving and accepting and just by your one simple statement you have proven that you are not God and dont to walk in his path, because if you did then you could have controlled yourself and either said something of value or kept your fingers off of the keyboard. MEOWZ: im very sorry that you dont believe in God. without him my life was very lonely and hard. He is my rock and everything that i live for. He has taken me out of very hard times and i know that if i hadnt found Him i would be dead right now because i tried to commit suicide. and He has given me something to live for. that is all i have to say because i know that not many people will read this or if they do will not understand what i am trying to say. im sorry if ive offened anyone but i am just trying to show the way i feel. please comment these pictures because id like to see what everybody else feels when they look at a small part of one of Gods creations.

  21. Holy shiz. So many freaking Bible humpers. Listen, Michael, and whoever else, if people don’t wanna believe your God bullcrap, then don’t shove it down their throats. It’s annoying and simply a waste of time. The pictures are pretty. Does that mean it can’t be a work of science? However, to defend the Bible humpers, to the people on the scientist side or whatever: God fanatics don’t have to believe your crap, either.

    anyway, these are great pics. =]]

  22. Okay people, if you’re going to tell everyone to stop going on about whether aurora borealis was made by God or not, don’t subtly mention your religion at the end.

    Also, christians, shoving your religion down people’s throats will get you nowhere. Yes, i’m talking to you, evolutionist disprover. Same goes for atheists.

    For some people, having a faith gives their life meaning. Others don’t have a need for it. I don’t, I’m very logical, science just makes more sense to me than religion, but I have no objections to people who believe in God. Unless they try to shove it down my throat…

    Can’t we just accept that this is beautiful, whoever or whatever made it?

  23. Whether or not God is real, faith does change people’s lives for the better (exept for in sisuations like this). But atheists can still have meaning in their life, but in a different sense. Can’t everyone just accept what everyone else believes without having to shove it down their throats?

    PS Totally agree with Red, saying it doesn’t matter then saying you religion undermines everything that your saying. (Note I haven’t included my position)

  24. the bible says that god is
    (A)omnipotent (all powerful),
    (B)omniscient (all knowing), and
    (C)benevolent (all loving).

    But as we all know there is evil in the world, if there is evil then God;
    (A)can do nothing (is not all powerful
    (B)doesn’t know (is not all knowing
    or (C) doesn’t care (is not all loving)

    therefore by logic, volia NO GOD!!!!!

    now lets leave it there and trip out looking at the pretty colours.

  25. Okay, wow um, why does a discussion about Northern Lights mean everybody gets to force their own beliefs down everyone else’s throats? I mean honestly!!! Debate is fine, but some people are getting just plain awful about it. And you know who you are.

    To the people who don’t believe in god (and Abe Lincoln): Does science really mean that more than religion? Maybe religion is a science? Because I know science is a religion.

    To the people that do believe in god: Do believe that everything’s true just because it’s written in some book? It’s just a book. You can’t prove god wrote it… but then again, you can disprove it. What if it was just written about God? Oh, and about the whole he/she/it thing, just because it’s written in the bible, or any other book, that God is a ‘he’ doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. I mean come on, how many times have you meant to write one word and written another? Maybe it’s the same thing. And anyway, if the bible really wasn’t written by god, then it would most likely have been written by men. Boys were the ones who got to learn to read and write, not girls. Wouldn’t you want to make your gender the better one by making god the same sex? Nobody’s perfect.

    Anyway, it’s really just a debate about whether things are just about chance or if they are just a part of –I don’t know- the scheme of things. And then if everything does happen for a reason then who is the creator? And so on.

    And everybody needs something to believe in, whether it’s science or religion.

  26. you know, for the first time I actually agree with loser, lets just keep this simple, thank God for all he gave us, then admire it.

  27. has anyone other than me(pun not intended) noticed that the illusions that come packaged with debatable topics get the most posts? this is an illusion site guys. take your debating, non-directly-related-to-the-illusion comments somewhere else. gosh.

  28. lol at some of these comments.

    My point of view:
    I’m an atheist but i don’t have a problem with other religions i’ve learned to respect them as long as they don’t go forcing their views into my face.
    Is god an all loving person? Why does he let all those people in poverty suffer, if anything charities are god who care for the poor.
    Secondly, you christians believe that you shouldn’t worship idols (pictures of god) yet instead you just have pictures of jesus who you all basically worship anyway.
    Thirdly, go red
    Fourthly, yeah i agree this is what starts wars about religion when religion is all about peace.
    Fifthly, i guess i am shoving my views down (some of) your throats but i guess this is my 2 cents.

  29. its just an Aurora and “God” and any other religious symbols aren’t real, i’ll belive “God” is real when I see him for my self. my first post “sniff”

  30. What’s with the debate? It’s natural in origin. Rather than believe it was made by a supernatural being, enjoy the wonder & beauty that is reality. Believing it is supernatural just takes away from what it really is.

  31. This is sooo not the place for this… >.< But I wanted to reply to PrObLeM oF eViL's comment.
    I agree that the bible says God is:
    (a) omnipotent
    (b) omniscient
    (c) benevolent

    And yes, as we all know there is evil in this world.

    (a) Just because he can prevent sin it doesn’t mean he will.
    As our loving (benevolent) creator, God gave us the gift of free will. The freedom to pursue whatever we feel is in our best interest physically, mentally and emotionally. The bible is very clear that this is because he wants us to love him unconditionally as he does us and without any fear that he will strike us dead if we don’t.

    (b) If he is all knowing and we most certainly are not. Isn’t likely that he knows something more about being God that we do?

    (c) The bible does say God is ben
    evolent but benevolent does not mean all loving. But for the sake of a debate that shouldn’t be taking place here to begin with, we will supposing for an moment that it does. In that case I would have to partially agree with you. Because for God to be all loving he would have to love the sin as much as he loves the sinner. And he does not. God abhores sin. He cannot have anything to with it. Which is why he sent his son to suffer and take on our own sins. So that nothing, not even our wickedness can can prevent us from being with him. Nothing that is except our free will.

    …It really is a beautiful picture though isn’t it?

  32. …the meek will inherit the earth, love your neighbour as yourself, a day in your courtyards is better than a thousand elsewhere, he will wipe every tear from their eyes, death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away. Not long now before everyone’s happy….keep smiling, keep enduring.

  33. I feel sorry for those who need God to bring meaning into their life. Those whos lifes revolve around religion need it so badly, almost like a drug addiction. Some people are so dependent on religion they have to fight any contradictions made to their belief (which is the cause of all this arguing).

    I have a question for those who strongly believe in a god: Why do you need to go through life with the reward of an afterlife motivating you? (Think of a horse folowing a carrot on the end of a stick.)

    Wouldn’t it be more rewarding to finish your lives and be able to say I did this by myself with no reward. To be able to be good to others with nothing driving you. Instead you have to make up a false reward for completing life.

  34. It’s true that some people use religion as a crutch, but not everyone. I know that I do not only do what I do on Earth for a reward in the afterlife, but rather because I want to. I want to do what God wants me to do. No, I haven’t been brainwashed. I believe that it’s OK to want to follow God’s will in your life. It does bring meaning to my life, but it is not the only think that does.

    These are beautiful pictures that are a part of the nature that God intended for us to enjoy. But please don’t throw out whatever you think will cause more controversy even if it is not true. And you cannot tell me that what I have just said is not true, because it is about me, and I think I know myself better than you.

  35. wow… and I’m not talking about the images. The single greatest argument of all time made its way to an “Illusions” website. LOL Can’t you people realize that arguing over this is pointless? If you seriously think that “you” can make some sort of difference and change “everyone’s” opinion on this topic… you should be GOD! Because apparently the hundreds of thousands of people before you, armies, cults, entire civilizations, religious sects, extremists, etc. etc., spanning hundreds of years failed miserably! There are 3 types of people, no more, no less… those who can’t figure it out and rely on faith in something they can’t see to explain these things and make them feel safe… those who think they have figured it out and rely on science and facts based entirely on theories (how much do you want to bet an argument is born out of this one) to make them feel safe… and those who just back, enjoy the ride and don’t care one way or the other. I personally choose to sit back… if God is real and I die and go to hell I guess I deserve it right? If science is real and I die and nothing happens… at least I didn’t spend my life worrying about it.

    I think I’ll go get a Big Mac now and work on becoming a true, fat American. :P

  36. When will you people realize you cannot argue science vs religion!!! Here’s why… mankind exists because of science based on theories we created ourselves, since we had no one to learn from or ask we pose the question “who created science?” God??? Ok fair enough answer… but who created God? Now we’re back at square one!!! We don’t know so we say he just “existed” and we create religion to explain this paradox to keep us sane.

    My point… Science is there to prove why we exist… religion is there to prove why we need faith. These are two ENTIRELY different goals people!!!

    You would have much better luck trying to argue which hand is better to raise… your right or your left.

  37. I am christian, yes, but, I certainly do not believe that god created “everything” because it is not logical at all.

    I believe that he once EXISTED, but that still does’nt make sense. because, he came back to life a couple of times, and he performed things that would seem like magic to us, but why would only one person in all of our time be able to do that?

    And for all you people that believe that he makes your life better, than good for you! That’s very nice and respectful to think that, but. How could one “entity” focus on everything all at once, it would have to think deeply about a single person, now imagine it thinking about 6 billion at once.

    I am mostly aetheist aetheist, that would make me really bad towards my relegion, so why have’nt I been punished yet?

    Now, I tried really hard not to shove stuff down my own religion’s throat, but I just have to go with pure logic.

  38. ok anonymous, i kinda agree, but i dont belive in god AT ALL because there is no REAL proof. And mankind doesnt really exist BECAUSE of science based THEORIES. how is God a fair enough answer for who created scince? The universe wasn’t created by God, but natural occurances, The Big Bang. The universe and humans and all living things was made in this. We were formed by the particles that came together. There God problem solved.

    ANYWAYS those pictures are great. Way to catch the beauty of earth

  39. I read through almost every comment on this page, and I have yet to read one convincing LOGICAL arguement!! I am not going to state my beliefs, but if you wish to state yours, please present them in an un bigoted fashion and with some class!

    Think about this… What is truth? Is the science that portrays these lights true? And where did truth come from? Just a thought!

    Great Pics!!!

  40. When I die, I’m gonna be reincarnated into something that reflects how good I was in this life! Like a cheeseburger!XD J/K Yes no yes, I’m atheist.

    You wanna know what makes the reincarnation happen? A hamster on a treadmill driven by the motivation of a belly rub! From himself!

  41. Holy crap. If that first person never mentioned God, you all wouldn’t have ranted on and on.

    These photos are beautiful, but I’m not quite sure why they’re on the site, in 2-d images.

  42. david you are totaly right on both comments
    wei long your right and where not forcing you to read this and where not trying to shove anything ”down your throat” i mean come on all these people are doing is giving a testimony but i realy think that we need to stop making this bout religion because everyone is intitled to there own opinoin and if you want to say it say it.. ”freedom of speech” ring a bell well it should and even if your a christian or athiast or evolutionist or w/e i think we can all agree that this is somthing beautiful and we should all be gratefull that we can even see this w/ our own two eyes. and if your one of those people who have to c to belive all i have to say is look around you

  43. yay for the guy who quoted Buddha

    Aren’t the lights nice

    Why does it matter why they’re there?

    they’re pretty

    and we can see them

    is anything else really that important?

  44. We need to stop fighting, sheesh!!!! Something that beautiful and we aren’t even enjoying it!! Why don’t we say how nice it is instaed of agueing about where it came from!!! Just enjoy the veiw of it and chill!!! I think it is a great picture (but I don’t know how it is an illusion)

  45. sorry about this anonymous, but about the whole God-created-the-northern lights thing, why hasnt anyone stuck to the point and asked WHY God would have created them? To me it seems like an entirely pointless thing to bother creating, and if you people are going to say that its just a pretty thing He made for us to look at, isnt it conceited of us to think God would do that just for us and not to bother with something more important? Why do we insist on thinking that the universe was created just for us?

  46. Hey why dont I ever see pictures of the Aurora Australis anywhere around here? it’s just Borealis, Borealis, Borealis…

  47. You all sound very smart so Im going to quote something smart from grey mater on ben 10…

    “What’s your
    malfunction…probably something stupid like the DNA splicing replicator copping a fragment of demino acid sequencece (gasp)!!! So this is what it’s like to be smart”.

    No really I know who made this. You think it was God or the Magnetic field of budhha or the atheist god (which doesn’t exist). No, the answer is simple…

    Crab people!

    Carb People! crab people! run away from the crab people…

  48. i have an idea lets all say o pretty lights in the sky up there lights just lights no one gives who or what created them they r pretty colored lights yes very pretty colorful lights ……. in the sky…… who made them idk but yea……..pretty
    Sonicblaze

  49. there is no god but Allah(muslim god) AND muhammed is his messanger.

    only someting so great and soo powerful could of have done something like this. Dear readers i am not telling you guys to except Islam straight away i am only saying learn about our religion befor criticisng it.

    Now listen to this:
    There is only one leader of Australia and he is John Howard. there is only one queen, one prince, one king and one princess of Australia. if there were two three or eve more then there would be war. Because one would want to do something and other wouldnt want to do that something. So that means there is only ONE ruler of the universe and that ia ALLAh the all merciful and the all forgiver

    Dear readers please here me and follow the straight path.

    with love and respect a muslim girl age 14 who is in love with her religioun

  50. Beautiful but not really classified as an illusion. Just something us Northeners get. Though I’ve never seen it that intense where i live…

    To anonymous up there… of course there’s a God. Allah is one of his names…I think. See, I’m not sure, but I think we believe in the same God, we’re just confused about the details.

    To quote: “With love and respect” a 14 year old Christian girl who loves her God.

  51. ok to comment #69, you are being a huge hypocrite by saying that you are Christian yet you dont believe God created EVERYTHING. God did create every little detail on this earth and if you say you are a Christian and you don’t believe that then you are a major hypocrite saying that your a Christian. no Christian can belive that God didn’t create everything. all true Christians know that He spoke it and it was so.

  52. To those who truly are not “enlightened”, I submit the following…. (I pray you will not leave this earth the sleepwalker that you are now.)

    Sir Isaac Newton had an accomplished artisan fashion for him a small scale model of our solar system which was to be put in a room in Newton’s home when completed. The assignment was finished and installed on a large table.

    The workman had done a very commendable job, simulating not only the various sizes of the planets and their relative proximities, but also so constructing the model that everything rotated and orbited when a crank was turned.

    It was an interesting, even fascinating work, as you can image, particularly to anyone schooled in the sciences.

    A scientist-atheist friend of Newton’s came by for a visit. Seeing the model, he was naturally intrigued, and proceeded to examine it with undisguised admiration for the high quality of the workmanship.

    “My! What an exquisite thing this is!” he exclaimed. “Who made it?”

    Paying little attention to him, Sir Isaac answered, “Nobody.”

    Stopping his inspection, the visitor turned and said: “Evidently you did not understand my question. I asked who made this?”

    Newton, enjoying himself immensely no doubt, replied in a still more serious tone. “Nobody. What you see just happened to assume the form it now has.”

    “You must think I am a fool!” the visitor retorted heatedly, “Of course somebody made it, and he is a genius, and I would like to know who he is.”

    Newton then spoke to his friend in a polite yet firm way: “This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander universe whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without a designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that the great original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker? Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?”

    sabretoothmagic.com

  53. Why even argue. Bottom line: God believers can’t prove God exhists. God non-believers can’t prove God doesnt exhist. Simple as that. So enjoy life and what comes of it.

  54. Even if God was real (which I personally doubt) I don’t think he would’ve been sitting up there a few weeks in and be thinking “Yeah this planet is pretty… but it really needs some P-ZAZZ! I know! Let’s put some pretty lights here… and over here too! Et voila!!”

    Seriously.

  55. PEOPLE!!!!
    ITS PRETTY!!!!
    LIVE WITH IT!!!!
    god-beliver-people: wouldn’t He, if he exists just want you to enjoy it, not turn it into a debate and lose the beauty???

    non-god-beliver-people: cant you just let people belive what they want to belive??? if they think it was caused by someone, let them belive it!!!

    its an optical illusions website!!
    its not a place to air your religious veiws!!!
    everyone is not the same!!!
    live with it!!!
    i would tell you what i think but none of you will care
    and no one will read this

    bye

  56. CowGirl is right this is an illusion website not a religion discussion. And anyways I noticed if I look at them carefully it sort of looks like they are moving a little bit. Like those circle illusions.

  57. PEOPLE!!! It doesn’t matter if you believe in God or you don’t; just enjoy the pics and keep your religious opinions to yourselves!
    Remember: arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics… eve if you win, YOU’RE STILL RETARDED!!!

  58. There is only one thing all you people and every one in the world have in common: HOPE.

    Now that is something really interesting that makes christianity worth thinking about. What if you only believe in science? You die. No HOPE.

    And about seeing God: If a blind man cannot see grass, does that mean the grass isn’t there? Though, by hearing people talking about grass and probably by feeling it, he is almost certain about the existance of grass. He has got TRUST and HOPE that there is grass.

    Do you all really think we believe in God just to get any meaning in our lives? No one ever said religion made life easier. If you only believe in yourself, what is left when you sink into depression, you get to disrespect yourself, what have you got left to believe in? God gives HOPE, a way out, an emergency exit.

    I thank God for creating the Aurora Borealis. I’ve seen it myself in Norway and was silent.

    But I also thank Him for creating it, for all you people, how bad you might think about him, all started to think about life, God, and probably about HOPE.

  59. If you tell people to keep their religious opinions to themselves, then that’s like me telling people to keep all of their opinions to themselves.

    That’s all it is….our OPINIONS. You don’t have to believe it, you can hate it, but it doesn’t matter what YOU think, now does it? It’s not like your saying “You’re stupid and wrong” is going to change that person. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You don’t have to like it, and it’s okay to express your own opinion on someone else’s opinion, just don’t get all messed up going nuts because this is just a friendly chat, remember? :D

    For my opinion….I think God’s awesome, and so are these pics of the Aurora Borealis. Some of you people are atheists and think that the earth’s magnetic field is the only point of praise here. I’m not going to tell you that you’re wrong and stupid, because my saying that won’t change anything. Say whatever you want….That’s what “comments” are, right? o_O

    Oh…and Armando – you’re a jerk for making fun of retards. Just my opinion.

  60. “if you don’t believe in God, where do you think you go after you die?…”

    I, most unfortunately, must be going to hell in that case.

    1. These coloured lights in the sky (Northern Lights) are caused by the angle of U.V rays penetrating the earths magnetosphere.. cool fact..

  61. God IS amazing…Screw you Pete. I don’t see how people can’t just believe in God, they just have to make up excuses for his miracles.

  62. “We made the sky a preserved and protected roof yet they turn away from Our Signs”. Kuran,Surah Al-Aubija 32. 1432 years ago.
    In the Kuran God calls our attention to a very interesting attribute to the sky.This attribute to the sky has been prooved by scientific reserches done in 20th century. The atmosphere surounding the earth serves crucial function for the continuity of life. While destroying many meteors big and small as they aproach the earth.Prevents them from falling to earth and harming living things.There are numerous facts proven on other dangers passing through, like the ultra violet rays and the freezing temperatures from the space.
    “Which is it, of the favors of your Lord that you deny?” Kuran.

    1. It’s life’s biggest illusion. One we will never figure out. Optical illusions should show you how our brain can be so forced on seeing things one way that it’s a shock when you see the illusion of it.

  63. I find it funny that ‘Angel Eyes’ doesn’t believe in God even though the Angels are a part of him. The jokes on her, calling people idiots even though she can’t spell fields…moron

  64. try this cool experiment ,.. you buy a loto ticket every day and pray to GOD to win ,.. ill sit at home and pray to myself that you lose ,.. time will tell all who is mightyest

  65. All of u who think god doesnt exist, think about this… “what created earth?”, u guys think its the big bang, BUT, who created the tiny atoms that needed to collide in order to created the universe? law says that matter cannot come from nothing therefore there must be a god who created the universe. there is no other possible explanation, so all u science geeks out there, just heed my warning. if you do not think there was jesus, or that he saved people just because it goes against all the laws of science, you’re wrong. god created science, so surely he sould be able to change it!

    1. who created god then, idiots… another god? and who created that one??

      believing in god goes nowhere, its a fast answer to lazy fuckers who love ignorance

  66. The pictures are nice. These pictures are pretty. And all of the comments written on this page are witty. The end. I love arguments. Debates. I believe in God as well. I don’t need proof. It’s a “belief” and that’s good enough for me. :) Wouldn’t you like to think you get to go to Heaven when you die? I do.

  67. You are more likely to get struck by lightning than win the lottery, so your bringing up something totally different. I’m pretty sure God doesn’t control everything. Like probability.

  68. No, there is no such thing as god, or multiple gods. Time and space and atoms and whatever, they were always here and always will be here. Then, yes, this appeared by chance. You would think that in infinite time, one thing as beautiful as this is bound to happen.

  69. “All of u who think god doesnt exist, think about this… “what created earth?”, u guys think its the big bang, BUT, who created the tiny atoms that needed to collide in order to created the universe? law says that matter cannot come from nothing therefore there must be a god who created the universe. there is no other possible explanation, so all u science geeks out there, just heed my warning. if you do not think there was jesus, or that he saved people just because it goes against all the laws of science, you’re wrong. god created science, so surely he sould be able to change it!”

    If God created Matter, then who created God? Your logic is circular and therefore flawed.

  70. (personally does not believe in god, but not bringing it into this)
    I think it’s beautiful, but not sure why you put it on an illusions site. shouldn’t we just be glad it’s here?
    yeah, but it’s much funnier arguing, won’t stop you guys.

  71. *sigh* rebutting creationist nonsense whilst looking at truly spectacular natural sight that border on the sublime, never gets old just repetitive.

    Aurora are the result of highly charged particles ejected from the sun, interacting with the gasses (plural) in our atmosphere at different altitudes.(red for Nitrogen and green for Oxygen, I believe…)

    The ionised plasma is carried in magnetic loops through space which interfere with the Earth’ magnetic field, distorting it, which is how the aurora wander over so wide an expanse. However because the field strength of any magnetic core is strongest at the poles (where the field lines narrow) that is where most of the energetic particles are concentrated which is why the lights are mostly concentrated in the polar regions. However it is not unknown, during particularly powerful solar storms for example, for the aurora to extend to the equator (as happened in 1859 – history buffs.)

    In the words of one far wiser than I: isn’t it enough to see that the garden is beautiful without having to imagine their are fairies at the bottom of it too?

    ———————
    The koran and the bible are about as scientific as my little finger.

    It’s classic apologetics to claim that these books contains insights later confirmed by science, and it’s all of it false or at the very least a claim made in abject ignorance (or possibly deliberate obscurantism) of all the things they get wrong (like in the Koran, the moon is implied able to produce it’s own light rather than reflecting the light of the sun – Sura 71:16 – and the moon, like the sun, orbits the earth – Sura 36:40 – well half right I suppose) There’s also the notable absence of anything *useful* for example a germ theory of disease. How many millions could have been saved in God had imparted that one to Moses or if Gabriel had been a bit more chatty with Mo’?
    If anyone tell you these books are scientific, pity them in their ignorance.

    ——————————

    >>matter cannot come from nothing therefore there must be a god who created the universe. there is no other possible explanation, <>god created science<>I believe in God as well. I don’t need proof. It’s a “belief” and that’s good enough for me. :) Wouldn’t you like to think you get to go to Heaven when you die? I do.<<

    I don’t expect a reply – but what if your beliefs are wrong? how would you ever find out or check?Shouldn’t we strive to at least have informed ourselves about matters in order to inform our beliefs?
    You speak of getting into Heaven (on the matter of eternal life I can think of nothing more stupefying or demeaning – but anyway) but contrasting it with your above statement, would god -if it existed in the manner and form you expect – not welcome someone into Heaven who had critically examined their beliefs and arrived at their conclusion through deliberation of amongst other things the evidence for holding such a belief – over someone who believed (howsoever fervently) without ever engaging in such inquiry. Why exactly do you expect to get into Heaven on this basis?

    Not that I accept such a concept is even plausible let alone evidenced and certainly not desirable particularly with it’s correlate.

    But I should think god would esteem critical thought, why do you not?

    —————

    That quiet enough debunking of religions for one evening. The Northern lights are an amazing – and yes, terrifying – feature of our world (though by no means restricted it to it – aurora have been observed on Jupiter for instance) we should be lifted and enriched by our knowledge of what they truly are and not live in fear of ancestral ghosts of the north, or give into to the simplistic and childish embrace of mystery preferred by the creationists. The rainbow is no more unweaved for having explained it, and the aurora are no more terrestrial for our knowing their place in the sky; rather they demonstrate, in truly celestial sense, our tiny planets place on the grand cosmic stage, and in this they are illuminating in more ways that one.

  72. Hah, I love it how people call others idiots when explaining things the proper way and not the religious way, just because you don’t understand the physics. Even more amusing considering that the aurora is a quite simple principle, blaming it on god is like saying that 81^(1/2) =/= 9 just because you yourself can’t do the calculations in your head.

    Though, this smells photoshop. The northern lights are not quite this bright usually, as far as I’ve seen. But it may well be possible, just not likely.

  73. It really irks me that atheists claim that theists’ logic is flawed when it comes to Creation. Some ask where God came from. I think it’s much more likely that an omnipotent God Whose power is unimaginable could have created the universe than primordial soup coming from who-knows-where accidentally turning into dust particles, those particles accidentally entering spontaneous combustion and creating a Big Bang, that Bang accidentally creating large dense rocks in space, those rocks accidentally turning into planets, and those planets accidentally beginning to support life. God has always been there. I think such a being as God needs no source of existence. But where does primordial soup come from, the primordial can?

  74. pretty pictures. :) i dont believe in god, and i never will… but oh well, whatever works for you. it is comforting for some people to tell themselves theres an afterlife or a higher power looking out for that, but i dont need that. whatever makes you happy. :)

  75. there is one thing that I find funny about theologists and other religious guys. First off, God is an obvious metaphor for the universe. Many things in this world are to great for the human mind to understand, therefore by giving these unfathomable things a name, we can suddenly imagine them, believe in them and understand them.

    Second, someone stated somewhere above that “matter cannot come from nothing therefore there must be a god who created the universe”. True, matter cannot come from nothing. But that is NOT a reason to think that a God created them, for what the F is God created from? He cannot certainly be a “nothing”, you said so yourself. And what created the thing that created god? see, everything moves in cycles.
    Look at the clock. At midnight the clock starts over 00:00. Look at the calendar. It restarts after 365 days. It doesn’t really restart, for it is continuing all the time. But time is NOT linear either, because that leaves us with a nothing at the beginning of the timeline, and eternity ahead of us…and what if that timeline stops? what do we get then…nothing?

    What I am trying to say is, time moves in a big cycle, or loop. Time though, in reality, doesn’t exist, I just use the word time to simplify things. Just like a priest says God instead of the Universe. If you think for a while, everything (at least all I can think of) fluctuates and moves in cycles. Civilizations, life, planets, energy.

    Therefore time is a quite faulty value, for there is no beginning and no ending. If there is a value 0 and in contrast a maximum value, then time cannot be truly cyclical, for this means that the minimum value and the maximum value will have to meet where the cycle “ends” or “restarts”. And we all know that max and min are each others counterparts…placing these next to each other does not work.

    I won’t go more in depth, and I have been trying to keep my comment short, for I know that half of the commentators won’t read my comment or completely disagree. I am just sharing my opinions and beliefs.
    ________

    Before I stop I also want to say that I do not believe in heaven or hell either. Think of this: in the Bible (I haven’t read any other holy texts so I cannot use them as examples here unfortunately), there are a lot of advices and rules of how to live as a true Christian.
    Living truly can shortly be described as living after the seven holy virtues, be a giving person, not be tempted into sin, and so on, I think most christians should know what a true Christian is, so I hope I don’t have to explain further about that.

    ANYWAY, if everyone (I mean EVERYONE) on this planet lived as a true Christian, would there be a need for heaven, or would we not already be there? I don’t think heaven is a place in the clouds…No, heaven is to me more like a descriptive name referring to the beauty and surrealism of the skies; remember that when the Bible was written, air travel was obviously not possible.

    Also one should not take the words in the Bible too seriously, and definitely not literary! If you have read the bible you will find a LOT of symbols, and not to mention all the metaphors.

    What are these symbols and, metaphors good for? To make a greater vision more easy to fathom and understand, especially when targeting low-educated people. In my mind, the Bible is just a simple way to describe the world, to explain the wonders of nature and how to live in harmony with each other.

    However, when brought from generation to generation, humans tend to distort fact and amplify the details they like. For example, there was a study where a test person told a story about a theft to another test person, who then told another…and so on. (sorry I have forgotten the reference to this) Anyway, in the beginning the criminal in the story was a white man robbing a black man. In the end, after passing through 15-20 test persons, the criminal was a black man stabbing a white man. Notice the difference!?

    If we apply the same behaviour on the Bible and other Holy texts, you could easily understand how easy mistakes happen when telling a story and bringing it to the next generation. I think the modern version of religion is a very amplified version of the original. Take Buddhism as an example. Buddha was never a god, but in the end he became in the eyes of many buddhists, a God.

  76. Maddi says God is in a good mood today! Gabby scoffs at the thought of God really existing (athiest) and smacks maddi upside the head…

  77. Neither side will ever give in. One side runs on emotion and the hope to be spared from death. They love feel-good stories and can be led anywhere by a teller of such stories.

    The other side sees the simple realities all around, and are driven to seek all truths.

    Both sides are identical except for the paths of electric currents through their minds.

    One side invents, the other searches.
    One side wishes, the other creates.

    And by the way, God did not make man in his own image, man made God in his own image.

    Flame on, friends. You’ll get nowhere ever.

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