I saw it! (the aurora)

I live in central Illinois. I was in the backyard with my telescope at 3 AM
(like the geek that I am) when it came out of nowhere. It started as a
small pink spot but quickly covered the sky. It was a deep magenta with
lighter "spokes" that seemed to pulsate. It lasted a mere 90 seconds, so my
wife wasn't happy having me drag her out of bed to see a small pink spot
disappear into nothingness. But it was the coolest thing I've ever seen!
It may be worth noting that I hadn't heard anything about sunspot 486 until
afterward so, needless to say, at the time I thought I was John Travolta in
Phenomenon.
-Mac