The northern lights are one of the most magnificent spectacles of the world. People travel far and wide and anticipate the hour they can catch a glimpse of the heavenly hues that adorn the sky. However, the aurora borealis, as majestic as it looks, reportedly has an eerie characteristic too. u/Myriagaon10000 asked sailors or those at sea what was the most amazing/creepy sight they had ever witnessed, and many people mentioned the northern lights. u/CurbsideHero wrote, “The northern lights in the middle of nowhere Alaska. We were anchored in a remote cove, so the CO (Commanding Officer) agreed to turn off all the exterior lights. Just a crazy, crazy thing to see.”
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However, u/MostSeaworthiness added, “Seeing them is spectacular. Hearing them though, was unsettling for me.” Several others commented on the sound that comes from the northern lights. "They absolutely do (make a noise), like very loud cracking cellophane and when they are at their best, it’s loud like thunder and the whole ground shakes and the colors can get very close to the ground. I must say when you are surrounded (by the lights), it’s like being in a lightning storm...terrifying and awe-inspiring at the same time," commented u/cookinthescuppers.
A page on YouTube, Ideas Studio, shared a glimpse of what the northern lights sound like and it was eerie. It sounded a lot like a cackling but with a strange frequency. Ryan Dickie, who attempted photographing the auroras, was baffled after hearing the sound, per CNN. He mentioned, “It was kind of faint at first, but almost sounded like a piece of meat hitting a frying pan.” There are quite a few theories as to why they make such odd sounds.
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One of the major reasons is the natural way that the northern lights are formed in the sky. The spectacle is a form of eruption that is caused when solar flares come in contact with Earth’s magnetic field. They leave a whitish, purple, or greenish swirl in the sky, accompanied by a bizarre sound. Astrophysicist Carolin Crawford said, “The lights occur during times of intense magnetic activity and moving magnetic fields can generate electric currents. One speculative possibility is that these sounds could be picked up locally to the observer through nearby metal (through a barbed wire fence or such) and broadcast like a radio signal,” per Astronomy.
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Mamie Williams, a member of the Tlingit tribe in Hoonah Alaska, suggested a more abstract reason for the sound. “It’s our ancestors letting us know, ‘We crossed over but we’re still here with you,” she said. She added that the brighter the event is, the louder the sounds are. She even recalled hearing a sound equivalent to drumming. However, Professor Donald Hampton from the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, argues that the sound couldn’t physically be from the aurora borealis.
While he acknowledges that the latter may have something to do with the sound, he has a defensive statement too. “If you’ve ever counted after a lightning strike, it takes five seconds for sound to go a mile,” he said. That would mean the lights would need 10 minutes or so before they can reach the ground and be audible. All in all, the sounds aren’t something to be worried about and there is no clear evidence that they come from the northern lights. Noora Partamies, a middle-atmosphere physicist at the University Centre in Svalbard, pointed out, “Most geophysicists say the sounds are an illusion. There are not many people looking into the sounds related to the aurora. So this is not a mainstream thing.”
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President Donald J. Trump and photo of a forest.
Public united and adamantly opposes Trump’s plan to roll back the Roadless Rule
There doesn't seem to be much agreement happening in the U.S. right now. Differing moral belief systems, economic disparity, and political divide have made a country with so many positives sometimes feel a little lost. Everyone desperately seeks a niche, a connection, or a strong sense of community to which they can feel a "part of," rather than just "apart."
But there seems to be one thing that the country strongly unites over, and that's the "Roadless Rule." With the Trump Administration attempting to roll back conservation policies that protect U.S. National Forests, Americans are saying in harmony an emphatic "No." A nonpartisan conservation and advocacy organization, the Center for Western Priorities, reviewed a comment analysis on the subject. After receiving 223,862 submissions, a staggering 99 percent are opposed to the president's plan of repeal.
What is the 'Roadless Rule' policy implemented in 2001?
The Roadless Rule has a direct impact on nearly 60 million acres of national forests and grasslands. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the rule prohibits road construction and timber harvests. Enacted in 2001, it is a conservation rule that protects some of the least developed portions of our forests. It's considered to be one of the most important conservation wins in U.S. history.
America's national forests and grasslands are diverse ecosystems, timeless landscapes, and living treasures. They sustain the country with clean water and the wood products necessary to build our communities. The National Parks protected under their umbrella offer incredible recreational retreats and outdoor adventure.
Why does the administration want to roll it back?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins told the Department of Agriculture in a 2025 press release, “We are one step closer to common sense management of our national forest lands. Today marks a critical step forward in President Trump’s commitment to restoring local decision-making to federal land managers to empower them to do what’s necessary to protect America’s forests and communities from devastating destruction from fires." Rollins continued, “This administration is dedicated to removing burdensome, outdated, one-size-fits-all regulations that not only put people and livelihoods at risk but also stifle economic growth in rural America. It is vital that we properly manage our federal lands to create healthy, resilient, and productive forests for generations to come. We look forward to hearing directly from the people and communities we serve as we work together to implement productive and commonsense policy for forest land management.”
Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz explained the Roadless Rule frustrated land management and acts as a challenging barrier to action. It prohibits road construction needed to navigate wildfire suppression and properly maintain the forest. Schultz said, “The forests we know today are not the same as the forests of 2001. They are dangerously overstocked and increasingly threatened by drought, mortality, insect-borne disease, and wildfire. It’s time to return land management decisions where they belong – with local Forest Service experts who best understand their forests and communities."
Why are people adamantly opposed to the proposed rollback?
A 2025 article in Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, expressed its concern over the protection of national forests covering 36 states and Puerto Rico. A rescinded rule allows increased logging, extractive development, and oil and gas drilling in previously undisturbed backcountry. Here is what some community leaders had to say about it:
President Gloria Burns, Ketchikan Indian Community, said, "You cannot separate us from the land. We depend on Congress to update the outdated and predatory, antiquated laws that allow other countries and outside sources to extract our resource wealth. This is an attack on Tribes and our people who depend on the land to eat. The federal government must act and provide us the safeguards we need or leave our home roadless. We are not willing to risk the destruction of our homelands when no effort has been made to ensure our future is the one our ancestors envisioned for us. Without our lungs (the Tongass) we cannot breathe life into our future generations.”
Linda Behnken, executive director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association, stated, "Roadbuilding damaged salmon streams in the past — with 240 miles of salmon habitat still blocked by failed road culverts. The Roadless Rule protects our fishing economy and more than 10,000 jobs provided by commercial fishing in Southeast Alaska.”
The Sierra Club's Forest Campaign Manager Alex Craven seemed quite upset, saying, "The Forest Service followed sound science, economic common sense, and overwhelming public support when they adopted such an important and visionary policy more than 20 years ago. Donald Trump is making it crystal clear he is willing to pollute our clean air and drinking water, destroy prized habitat for species, and even increase the risk of devastating wildfires, if it means padding the bottom lines of timber and mining companies.”
The 2025 recession proposal would apply to nearly 45 million acres of the national forests. With so many people writing in opposition to the consensus, the public has determined they don't want it to happen.
Tongass National Forest is at the center of the Trump administration's intention to roll back the 2001 Roadless Rule. You can watch an Alaska Nature Documentary about the wild salmon of Tongass National Forrest here:
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The simple truth is we elect our public officials to make decisions. The hope is they do this for all of our well-being, although often it seems they do not. Even though we don't have much power to control what government officials do, voicing our opinions strongly enough often forces them to alter their present course of action. With a unanimous public voice saying, "No!" maybe this time they will course correct as the public wishes.