"Usually, the waves peak in different places along their journeys around Earth. But “every once in awhile, the waves end up in the same spot,” said Dr. Shepherd. “Just imagine waves in the ocean piling up together. That makes a bigger wave.” And when they superimpose like that, the intensity of the airglow increases so much, it’s possible for the naked eye to see it, and may explain those nocturnal suns of the past.
Once superimposed, the waves will stay that way for a while because they move so slowly, said Dr. Shepherd, so bright nights will last two to four nights. And, according to his analysis of the satellite images, one bright night can shine over areas as big as Europe...
With so much light polluting our nights now, it is nearly impossible to make out a bright night when it occurs in most places, let alone find a photograph of one."
New life goal - spend a year in a place that is dark enough that I might see a bright night.
related: stare into the sun
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