There's a lonesome outpost in the Alaskan interior where scientists work in wool slippers and all-nighters are standard procedure, where sunlight is scorned and darkness cherished for the promises it holds. That outpost is the science center at the Poker Flat Research Range, a rocket-launching facility in the hills 30 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Poker Flat is one of the world's premier centers for studies of the aurora borealis, the electromagnetic light show that graces the subarctic firmament almost every night of the year.
Perched on top of a low rise with a uniform view of sky, snow, and spruce, the center sometimes teems with humanity, as researchers come from around the globe to grab a glimpse of the luminous curtains and rays that dance to a silent madrigal far above the tundra. Tonight, though, it's the regulars from the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. They'll ...
