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.
AH! I feel like we saw the aurora the way we saw the eclipse... it was cloudy so we really didn't. :( There was another shot last night, but we couldn't see them from here and I didn't feel comfortable getting into the car to drive somewhere while so unstable on crutches. I saw SO many beautiful pictures though! And I have never seen it, but would love to. I can't believe they saw it in Joshua Tree, in Southern California! Crazy stuff.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool that you got to see them growing up, and then again with your nephews. I'm hoping I can still see them sometime... :)
Oh they are definitely a bucket list item for me. I want to see them so badly!!!! I will absolutely be taking a trip at some point in my life to do so. Just not sure where yet, or when. It’s so cool you grew up getting to see them. I am jelly.
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