The other night the northern United States was treated to a rare Aurora Borealis performance. I looked out about 10:00 p.m., but the sky was black. The next day Facebook was jam-packed with photos that luckier people had taken of the gorgeous sky scenes, like this one by Ingrid Kanics:

I was jealous. So was someone else who posted this humorous picture:

To console myself, I reflected on other magnificent sights in the sky that I had witnessed. No, I didn’t see the meteor showers this year, but years ago I counted 86 meteors in the Leonid shower over South Euclid. Three times as I flew, I spotted a pilot’s halo or pilot’s glory. This is a miniature shadow of the plane riding over the clouds and encircled by a rainbow. I learned the name for this phenomenon while reading a novel in which the heroine saw one.

I’ve seen lovely plain rainbows, even double ones.

From my third-floor balcony, I see breathtaking sunrises . . .

and sunsets both at home

and from my sister’s Florida condo.

This year I was able to watch the solar eclipse from our courtyard.

I also see slivers of moons, half moons, and full moons.

Then there are the brilliant stars…

Several varieties of clouds enchant us, like cirrus, stratus, and cumulus. Puffy white clouds are beautiful.

Threatening clouds are awesome too.

Sometimes sunlight breaks through clouds in a glorious way. Still, Vincent van Gogh said, “I never tire of the blue sky.”

The skies above are thrilling to behold. No wonder people conceived of heaven being “up there.” If God made our temporary home so wonderful and entertaining, imagine the astounding sights that await us in our eternal home!

Here is a version of “For the Beauty of the Earth” with a different melody than the one I’m familiar with. It is accompanied by lovely photos. Click and enjoy!

https://youtu.be/xlBkpAm3fhw?si=XSsbecTOl3S50lib

• What marvelous skies have you been privileged to see?