Stargazing and Northern Lights
By Naomi March 20, 2015 astronomy, canada, life, stargazing
Stargazing [star·gaz·ing \-ˌgā-ziŋ\ ]
One of the highlights of my trip to Los Angeles this past December was the opportunity to visit the Griffith Observatory and admire the stars from a place high and away from the bustling city. It's something that I will also miss once I move away from Winnipeg, since Toronto is a city perpetually flooded with bright lights.
Yesterday night, as I was sitting in bed winding down for the evening, my mother popped her head in my room and asked if I wanted to go see the Northern Lights. "What Northern Lights?", was my first reaction thinking that she was referring to a movie. But apparently, she was talking about the actual Aurora Borealis as there had been an enormous solar flare which spurred on this occurrence. Naturally, having a penchant for anything space related, I jumped on the ship, or the car more specifically.
My parents and I drove an hour out of the city to a secluded area with no artificial lighting save a few emergency lights we left on. Thankful for the warmer weather, I sat on top of my car, hoping to get a few shots, which were captured at ISO3200 at 10s at f/4. The lights were supposed to peak shortly before and after midnight, but despite the excitement, I was running low on energy and wanted to go home and sleep. Staying there till around 11pm, we made a peaceful drive back home.
It's not uncommon for us to be able to see the Northern Lights in Manitoba. In fact, some people come to our humble little province just for that. But for some reason, in the last 22 years, this is the first time I've ever had a chance to witness it myself. Maybe because it never seemed urgent, since it was always there. Perhaps it's because I might not have this kind of opportunity soon, which makes me appreciate it that much more.
naomi
