Staycation Alberta : Lady Aurora

This past week, I was lucky enough I didn’t even have to leave my neighborhood to find something that people sometimes travel thousands of miles in an attempt to find and often never get to see: The Northern Lights. Aurora Borealis.

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In northern Alberta, we’re more likely to see these magical magnetic solar winds than a lot of other places in the world, but often, it’s still luck. Finding aroura means paying attention to solar storms, staying up very late, usually in the fall or winter and often requires driving to a dark sky area in order to actually see and capture this magical phenomenon.

Last week we had some help from our local star in the way of some great solar flares and storms. The incoming storm was supposed to hit on the previous Saturday, and I was prepped and ready to go; camera ready, batteries charged, dark sky area chosen, but alas – the lady doesn’t always co-operate and no lights came out.

On Wednesday night, things were looking better, but the sky began to cloud over. It was a work night for me, and I’m not the type that can (safely) pull an all-nighter any more, so I went to bed. I happened to wake up at 4am (my new, annoying, middle-aged, trick) and stepped outside in the crisp autumn night, just to see if anything was going on, and as luck would have it, the aurora were there flickering above my head.

If you’ve never had the honor of seeing the Aurora, they really are simply stunning. They’re never the same; sometimes they slowly make curtain-like waves in the distance or overhead. Sometimes they flicker like they’re being turned off and on. Sometimes they’re soft and flowing and sometimes they move so fast and geometrically that they’re like laser lights in a club. They range in color from white, green, purple and pink. No matter how the Northern Lights appear, they’re mesmerizing and fantastic to watch. I’m never not awed when I see them.

I captured these from my back field. It’s not an ideal photography location. I live in a city of a million. The closest dark sky preserve is a 45 minute drive away. My neighborhood is very bright with a seniors home and school nearby that keep their lights on 24/7. To be able to see these lights from my field was spectacular. I knew if I’d headed out to a dark sky the photos would be spectacular, but I look my stroke of luck for what it was and snapped these photos in my pajamas from 4-5 am.

Many cultures and peoples including Canada’s First Nations people have deep spiritual connections with the Aurora and have legends and stories involving the phenomenon. Watching these lights, it’s easy to feel a magical connection to the earth and universe.

Lots of travelers make long, expensive, journeys to try to find these mysterious and magical lights. I feel very lucky to have captured these photos from my own backyard. Sometimes, you don’t even need to travel to find magic and beauty right where you are.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, safe and happy travels (when and if you can resume).

-L