However, the night of May 10, 2024, was anything but usual.
After the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, the Northern Lights painted the skies above Cold Spring Harbor, NY, in smoky waves of green and pink. While CSHL is already known for its breathtaking views, these vistas were on another level. Not even light pollution from across the harbor could keep the celestial light show at bay. CSHL Assistant Professor Arkarup Banerjee was out for a midnight stroll with his wife, bioRxiv Content Specialist Sanchari Ghosh, when the couple spotted the dazzling display
“It was pretty cool,” Banerjee says. “I was very surprised and excited to see the Aurora at CSHL and Bayville, NY.”
The Aurora Borealis is typically visible only from the upper Northern Hemisphere. Think Alaska and above. It occurs when solar winds reach the magnetic fields that surround Earth. These solar winds arrive in the form of charged particles, or ions, that are ejected from the sun throughout the year. On the night of May 10, the most powerful solar storm in over 20 years erupted from the sun’s surface. When it hit Earth’s magnetosphere, the resulting Aurora could be seen as far south as Texas.
The solar flare of May 10 was just one in a week of intense solar activity. Video: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Although Banerjee’s work has brought him into close contact with unique scientific phenomena, his neuroscience research is a little more down to earth.
Banerjee studies vocal communication in a special breed of mice called Alston’s singing mouse. These musical mice “sing” to one another in call-and-response duets with differing speeds and pitches. Their songs are used to warn away rivals, find mates, and avoid danger. Banerjee’s work may one day reveal just how the human brain controls speech and other timing-dependent behaviors.
Banerjee recently spoke about his pioneering research with Alston’s singing mice on CSHL’s At the Lab podcast.
Like Banerjee, the skies above CSHL are no stranger to amazing sights. CSHL students, faculty, and staff gathered for the Great North American Eclipse in April 2024. Banerjee’s fellow neuroscientist Jeremy Borniger has also captured some stunning astrophotography from the shores of CSHL.
Borniger and Banerjee’s photographs prove you don’t need fancy, NASA-level equipment to capture detailed images of the night sky. As Banerjee learned beneath the Northern Lights, sometimes all you need is a phone.