
Iowa State Patrol Staffer Captures ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Photo, Wins Contest
Often times, when a photo goes viral in this day-and-age, it's of a harrowing image of a protest, a brawl, war, or some kind of conflict that really puts the sobering reality of the world into context for us. But then, there are photos that are simply majestic that get you to marvel at the natural beauty of the world. This is one of those photos.
A staffer for the Iowa State Patrol captured a gorgeous photo of his patrol vehicle during the aurora borealis back in May. Per Dictionary.com, the aurora borealis is "a natural light display that occurs in the skies close to Earth's north and south poles. The process that starts "an aurora," as they're known, always begins at the sun, and often leads to the sky illuminating in eye-catching colors that sometimes don't even appear real.

Per KCCI, the photo was captured by Communications Specialist Spencer Bezoni, who in turn won the Iowa State Patrol's photo contest. His photo will be entered into the American Association of State Troopers Calendar Contest as a result.
The photo is something out of a movie. It's a low-angle shot of Bezoni's patrol vehicle with the aurora borealis occurring in the background, casting the sky in a barrage of purple, green, teal, and even light-gold sheens.
The iridescent photo has been making the rounds on social media, deservedly so. It shows the magnificent beauty of natural light occurrences in the sky. Dictionary.com elaborates on the aurora borealis by adding:
[....]humans have been amazed by [the aurora borealis] for thousands of years. Recorded sightings date back to the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians, and the phenomenon may even be depicted in some ancient cave paintings. The name aurora borealis came much later—it is thought to have been coined by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in the 1600s. The lights are named after Aurora, the Roman goddess of the dawn. - per Dictionary.com
Voting for the national contest in which Bezoni's photo will compete begins in just a few days, July 15th. For more details on the photo, visit KCCI's website.
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Gallery Credit: Rachel Cavanaugh & Elizabeth Ciano