Fear not the bursts and streaks of color lighting the night sky. In fact, it might be a good idea to kick back and enjoy the view. "It's fantastic," said Tom Reiland, director of the Wagman Observatory in Frazer Township, Allegheny County. Thursday night, residents throughout the area got a look at the aurora borealis, a natural light show that occurs when charged particles from the sun become trapped in the magnetic fields at the North and South poles. The sight is not uncommon in southwestern Pennsylvania, Reiland said. In the sky above the greater Pittsburgh area, there are from two to five instances a year, he added. Those looking at Wednesday's sky might have seen the colors, but last night's display, which Reiland called "spectacular," was easier to see. "This aurora covered the whole sky," he said. "That doesn't happen too often here." The colors apparently made some residents nervous. Dispatchers at the 911 centers in Westmoreland and Fayette counties reported receiving calls from people wondering what was happening. "They said there was this red cloud," said Fayette 911 supervisor Paul Saletrik. "They're not sure what it is." The aurora borealis is actually always occurring, but in varying degrees, Reiland said. Visibility depends on how many particles are trapped in the magnetic fields. Whether the colors will appear again tonight is in question. "It depends on how active the sun stays," Reiland said, adding the sight would be a nice one for Halloween trick-or-treaters. While he worked at the Fayette 911 center last night, Saletrik expressed a bit of envy of people within eyeshot of the colors. "I'd like to be able to see it, but all I've been able to do is hear about it," he said.

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