The big news over the past weekend was a solar storm that caused the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) to appear in many parts of the world, including some that normally don't get treated to this natural spectacle.
I took a look outside on Friday night but, disappointingly, didn't see anything -- it was quite cloudy and probably too much light pollution. (I did see a gorgeous orange crescent moon, though!)
I wasn't as disappointed as some people might have been (although many friends, living further out of the city and in other parts of the country/world, did see them). But I was surprised to see so many comments, on social media and in various other forums, from people marvelling that they'd never seen the Northern Lights before! -- saying they were moved to tears, calling it a "bucket list" item (something they thought they'd have to travel to Norway or Iceland to see!) that they could now cross off. (The photos they posted WERE pretty spectacular!)
I almost felt a little guilty. I didn't get to see them this time around, but the Northern Lights were not an unheard-of phenomenon where I grew up in Manitoba and Saskatchewan on the Canadian Prairies, and where my grandparents lived, in a remote rural corner of northern Minnesota ( = very little light pollution). They were infrequent and special enough that we'd usually go outside to have a look at them, but they weren't exactly a rarity.
I never realized they were such a novelty until I moved to southern Ontario, 40-ish years ago (gulp). It's a little too far south of the normal viewing range -- and of course, in a large urban area like Toronto, they're harder to see because of all the lights.
But we did see them here one night, probably about 15-20 years ago. We'd been visiting my late FIL, who lived in a part of the city near Lake Ontario, where of course, there are no lights. My BIL & SIL and their two sons (our nephews), then young boys, were also there, and as we walked out of the house to our cars, there they were!
I was thrilled to be able to share that experience with the boys! -- a memory I'll always treasure. :)
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.