West Coast Girl Underneath the Northern Lights

The aurora borealis (a.k.a. northern lights) are quintessentially Canadian. As a southerner, I anxiously awaited the opportunity to see them in real life.

Lucky for me, I now live in the north; Iqaluit has provided no shortage of aurora activity.

According to good ol’ Canadian Geographic, the peak of the solar maximum is supposed to hit during fall 2013. More specifically:

Solar activity — flares, sunspots, solar winds and other forms of radiation — is governed by changes in the sun’s magnetic field. These activities wax and wane on a fairly predictable 11-year cycle known as the solar maximum. The peak of this cycle hits this year (predicted to be September 2013 or later), which is why skywatchers and scientists are so excited. The solar maximum should bring with it the brightest and most frequent auroral displays for more than a decade.

Well guess what? The peak is here!

For more than the past week, the northern lights have been visible every clear night. And they’re by no means faint. They’re blankets of emerald billowing across the cloudy sky; they’re wisps of jade hovering above cozy houses; they’re streaks of aquamarine blazing over the starry horizon.

Fortunately, both Anubha and I have recently acquired fancy new cameras (she has an Olympus Micro Four Thirds and I have a Canon DSLR). Unfortunately, neither of us have purchased the requisite equipment yet – namely, a tripod (hint hint!) That said, the two of us have still managed to snap a few shots. They’ll only get better with Christmas presents practice.

Click on the images below to see the northern lights for yourself!

[As a complete aside, why is it that nearly all aurora borealis websites look like they’re from the late 90s? Cases in point: this forecast website and this informative webpage. At least they don’t use Comic Sans font…]

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