Northern Lights Moment - Part 2

In my last post, I wondered why I missed the Northern Lights and cancelled the reason I had chosen to miss the Northern Lights. You can read that post here.

I accepted that sometimes the reason we think we're experiencing a synchronicity moment isn't actually the reason after all. I accepted the fact that I had missed my chance to see the Northern Lights this time. I was supposed to be heading home and the 3 day aurora forecast was quiet.

My departure kept getting delayed; but the aurora forecast wasn't improving. I was finally ready to leave four days later than planned on March 23 (3-23-23 - I love numbers) but there had been an accident overnight and the highway was closed in both directions. The highway was also slushy, so I delayed my return one more day when it would be safer to drive.

How lucky or synchronicitous. It turned out that the Northern Lights would be stronger than it had been in six years that night. 

I love seeing the Big Dipper standing on its handle in this photo.

This photo was facing East with the golf course behind the trees.

Since I was driving nine hours the next day, I didn't want to stay up for too long in the night. Perhaps I will regret this decision if I don't get to see them again.

I didn't understand how special 3-23-23 would be for the aurora borealis. It was a G4 Kp 8 event. I understood that going to a darker place would have given me a better chance of seeing them, but I wasn't comfortable driving in the dark to wait alone in an isolated spot in the cold. Especially when I didn't know if and when they could be visible. 

What I didn't expect was that the colours would not be visible to the naked eye. When I was going outside (first at 10:20; 10:40 and then 10:55), I was looking for green. 

When I went out at 10:55, I noticed white clouds dancing in the sky, in a way that clouds don't. When I turned the phone on to take a video, the colours were bursting in the phone. I was SO excited to realize that the Northern Lights were active!! 

They remained active for almost half an hour. In hindsight, I wish I had informed myself better to learn how to get my eyes to better adjust to see the colours.

When I was looking at the photos on my computer, this heart jumped out at me. 

I edited the videos I took to create a highlights video. I removed the audio to delete my ooh-ing and aah-ing as well as my walking around. I thought a quiet video would be boring, so I decided to compose a melody to accompany the video. If you prefer quiet, you can click on mute.

Tips:

• Our eyes have cones (to see in daytime) and rods (to see in nighttime). Rods see in black and white, hence the reason everything is a shade of grey in the dark. The light is too dim for our cones to detect colour. The stronger the aurora (and the further north you are), the more likelihood you'll see colour with the naked eye.
• The longer you are outside in the dark, the better your chance of seeing the colours. Your eyes will adjust in order for the colours to be visible. Ideally go to a dark location without city lights.
• To help your eyes adjust, don't look at lights or your camera/phone screen (lower the brightness if possible). 
• If light pollution is unavoidable, try to have the lights behind you. I walked into a parking lot so that the lights weren't between the aurora and me.
• They are most visible the further the sun is from view - so in the middle of the night; especially when the aurora is weaker.
• The Aurora Borealis Notifications Group on Facebook is a great resource for forecasts, where to go, camera settings. Look at the guides and featured posts for detailed information.
• The video on my iPhone X barely showed anything. The iPhone 14 automatically went into "night mode" with instructions to hold still for a few seconds. I had it on a tripod and held it against my body to hold the iPhone steadier than in my hand. The better your camera and its settings, the better the photos and videos will be.
• Another good resource is Soft Serve News' Aurora Forecast. I took this screenshot a couple of hours before going outside. They also show the estimated Kp in 4, 7 and 11 minutes for more detailed information. 

• They rated the geomagnetic storm a level 4 out of a 5 tier scale with a Kp of 8. The following map explains the Kp. Locate your city, and see which Kp is visible for your location. If your location is above the green line, for example, the Northern Lights are likely visible when Kp is 5 or greater. If you're in a 5 zone and the Kp is 8, the aurora will be even more active.

• Another factor that affects the activity is the solar wind's magnetic orientation in the up/down direction (known as Bz). If the Bz is a negative number (it was -15 on March 23), the likelihood of Northern Lights is even greater than the regular Kp map. If it's positive, the aurora may not happen if with a Kp 5.

Northern Lights Moment

One of my bucket list items is to see the Northern Lights. I have included it on most of my vision boards. While making my latest vision board, I wondered whether to include it. I was giving up hope of seeing them, figuring that I perhaps preferred comfort to seeing them. I saw a tent in my husband’s cousin’s photos when she went to Sweden to see them. She said they lied in the snow for 30 minutes watching the lights. Is this my dream? I loved visiting the Ice Hotel in Quebec City, but I wouldn't want to sleep overnight in it. I wouldn't want to be in a tent hoping the Northern Lights appear. I still included it on my latest vision board. You never know.

I was giving up on this dream, then a few weeks ago, I watched The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy in Finland. He was staying in a cabin with floor to ceiling windows where he could see the Northern Lights (if he stayed awake). Oooh, are there places like that? I googled it and yes there are! I could be comfortably warm and see the Northern Lights? My dream is back. Although, I'm sure if I was there, I would want to go outside to better enjoy them, but at least I wouldn't have to be waiting for hours in the cold.

Another hope for seeing the Northern Lights is that I have taken over my parents’ cottage in Northern Ontario, where it may be possible to see them in the summer, but they're not as common as they are in the winter.

Technology today makes it easier to see them as well. There are forecasts and Facebook pages where people will post forecasts and strengths.

I am currently visiting my parents. It's the first time I come back to my hometown in the winter in over twenty years. The forecast showed a strong possibility for Northern Lights one night. I went outside to see if there was a spot with less light pollution for me to go to, if they appeared. 

I left my coat, mitts, scarf, etc. by the door just in case I saw them from the window. I was monitoring the aurora borealis accounts and had the blinds open in my bedroom.

Earlier that evening, the specialist’s office called from Timmins, which is almost a 2 hour drive from my parent's place. They had a cancellation for the next day and were checking to see if they could go for a check-up.

I thought it was serendipitous. I am here and can drive them. The timing of my visit seemed perfect for me to be here for this opportunity. As the evening ended, I realized that sleeping was more important than the northern lights. We’d be up early; driving for four hours, plus the appointment time and meal.

In the morning, I called the doctor's office to get more information. I learned it was a ten-minute sit-down appointment. If there were any issues, the specialist would refer to the emergency department or book another appointment for treatment. We were going to drive four hours in the winter to have a 10 minute chat. We cancelled the appointment and made the next appointment when the doctor would be in my parents' town.

Afterwards, I wondered, what was the point? I thought I was serendipitously here in order to help my father get the care he needed. I wondered why this call interrupted my attempts at seeing the Northern Lights. I was confused. Normally, some things happen for a reason or at least I find some meaning. The doctor had an opening and lucky us; I was here. How lucky that the Northern Lights would be visible during my visit!! Then, the appointment was cancelled and the Northern Lights were missed.

Upon reflection, we recognized that the risk, stress and discomfort in travelling was greater than the benefit of a follow-up appointment for them. It was perhaps a mindset shift for my parents.

As for my missed Northern Lights, a local photographer posted a drone video of the spectacle the next morning. I took a screen capture and added an arrow to show where I was sleeping under the northern lights to show my friends. It’s funny, I couldn’t believe that Eugene Levy slept while there were Northern Lights and here I was, sleeping under the Northern Lights. We all have our priorities and sometimes sleep is the priority.

I joked with my friends that perhaps the northern lights weren’t amazing enough that night for them to be my “first time” to see them. Perhaps my first time will be in a more ideal setting; maybe my cottage at the lake or on a trip to Alaska, northern Canada or Scandinavia.

Maybe this was the little warning from the universe - for me to reflect when I feel I have serendipitous moments. Although I wanted to believe in the serendipity of me being here, my gut was telling me it was too risky in the winter. Maybe if I didn’t listen to my gut, I would have gone on the road and a bigger challenge would have emerged.

Sometimes a serendipitous moment isn’t for the reason we think it is, and we have to dig a little deeper to figure out their meaning. I'll remember what I'm calling my Northern Lights Moment when my instinct questions a serendipitous moment.