CMC Sky Club heads to Alaska

Jimmy Westlake photo of the Northern Lights over Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado
CMC professor Jimmy Westlake captured this rare appearance of the northern lights in Colorado at Rabbit Ears Pass on March 17, 2013. Westlake will head to Alaska with 22 CMC students, faculty and staff on Thursday to view and study the northern lights in the Arctic Circle.

CMC professor Jimmy Westlake and 22 CMC students, faculty, and staff — all members of the CMC SKY Club — are embarking on a five-day Alaska Northern Lights Expedition. The trip commences Thursday and includes stops in Anchorage, Denali National Park, Delta Junction, and Fairbanks. Westlake hopes the group of CMC astronomy buffs will be able to “experience, photograph and study the northern lights up close and personal from their Arctic home.”

The northern lights make an occasional appearance in Colorado and regions further south. Follow the NASA-sponsored website www.spaceweather.com for aurora borealis forecasts and updates. Spectacular real time photos from sky watchers around the world can be found on the site’s photo gallery page. If weather and timing allow the Sky Club to catch some spectacular displays, Westlake promises to share more stunning photos with viewers upon the group’s return from Alaska. Stay tuned!