Palmer sky phenomena

The Palmer skies are pretty clear right now. But these skies have been full of oddities and mystery over the last several weeks. Guesses, theories and speculation have thrived with the continual appearance of unusual phenomena. This week’s column is a round-up of all the exciting sightings. Enjoy!

Palmer “Night Club”—This is a dedicated group of skywatchers that observe the dark skies in the Matanuska Valley. They joyfully report when the aurora is dancing, along with other interesting nighttime events. There are a number of active groups on social media which give up to the minute pics and discussion. If you are a night-owl, this is a delightful alert. The Palmer Alaska Buzz is a willing participant and shares these celebration photos of our nighttime sky without explanation.

Week Long Pulsating Auroras—It’s been a spectacular week of Northern Light viewing in the Palmer area. The sky has been dark and delicious and then the ribbons of green and pink and yellow come swishing and dancing across the sky. It isn’t cold so you aren’t freezing during the show, which sometimes lasts for hours.

But there have been some odd white lights this past week. Supposedly it is TMA (tri-methyl aluminumis,) a chemical which burns on contact with oxygen and produces a long-lasting chemiluminescence for a few minutes; it’s trail can be captured by white light cameras on the ground. Apparently it is more evident by the strong blue light and white light in twilight conditions. Aurora Chasers follow this information and learn about the Northern Light’s idiosyncrasies.

Circus Party Star in the Sky—This was the ridiculously festive star, Sirius, low in the sky flashing many different colors. Also known as the Dog Star, It really did look like a party piñata and was very fascinating to watch in the past weeks. Sirius is a very bright star and the explanation is that refracted light splits the starlight into the colors of a rainbow causing unusual optical effects in sparkling colors.

Giant Orb which is NOT the Moon—This Palmer phenomenon was spotted moving across the sky a few weeks ago. It was huge and speedy and traveled from east to west. It was far bigger than any moon and it sported several circular layers of light. A few lucky Palmer ones were able to capture it in photos, which then went viral.

The local response was intense. Some called it a blob. And some called it a glowing plasma of gas. Some were convinced it was the UFO mother ship. Because of its’ size it was called a dimensional portal. Or a “gap in the space-time continuum.” The astro-scientist accepted conclusion was that it was likely from a Chinese or Russian rocket launch venting hot fuel. Rockets have been shot into the sky for decades to study the ionosphere and for other purposes. Frankly, missile tests are a bit disconcerting but we can comfort ourselves that they aren’t alien amusement rides.

Mr. Moon and the Constellations—So far April has been grand for the Palmer “Night Club” sky-time. The moon has been gently growing and the constellations have been vivid. It is an “extra twinkly time” in the spring and this week will probably be a continuation of good night observations for skywatchers.

Sunrise Big Scary Tornado Finger—This was a definite curiosity at sunrise. It looked like an elongated funnel cloud moving down and touching Lazy Mountain. Depending on your perspective, it appeared to be a smoke column, a vertical dark gray streak, a giant squid overlord, a space junk rocket break-up, spinning meteor, plane crash, a coaxial and umbilici, a volcano, or a mysterious military operation.

Amazing pictures have been posted from various vantage points, all around Palmer. Much discussion has also occurred. Law Enforcement and meteorologists believe that this crazy sight was merely a large contrail, (clouds of water vapor creating a condensation trail produced by commercial aircraft traveling at high altitude,) and illuminated by the rising sun. It was surely a wild thing and we are lucky to have witnessed it.

This Week in Palmer—The Spring 2022 Consign 49 is this week. It’s at Raven Hall and quite the collection of just about everything. It starts on Thursday and runs through Tuesday (excepting Easter Sunday.) Field cleanups begin this weekend. Nervis Rex is playing in town on Saturday night. Easter is Sunday with all the bunnies, eggs, hams, parties and various holy day services. It will be a good week.

Barbara Hunt is both Palmer writer and artist. She works hard to keep the robust pulse of Palmer, Alaska. She shares the good stuff in the weekly Palmer Alaska Buzz Column in the Mat Su Valley Frontiersman and daily on the Palmer Alaska Buzz Facebook Group. Her “Palmer Buzz 2022 Community Calendar” is available at the Palmer shops. Contact at bhunt@mtaonline.net or text 907.315.3222