Sunday, December 11, 2005

The Northern Lights are Gorgeous

Duncan and I have just got in from watching the Northern Lights here in Edmonton. They have been really active recently, but tonight there was brilliant greens and vibrant pinks lighting up the sky, and they were moving so fast that they truly were dancing.

I have always loved the Northern Lights - as I grew up on Vancouver Island I only saw them as a faded shadow and infrequently at that. Now, being so much more north I have delighted in their magnificance over the past 10 years.

Sadly, the Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting away from North America (towards Siberia) at such a rate that scientists say North America might lose its spectacular Northern Lights sometime in the next 50 years (Good news for Europe though). If I manage to live another 50 years I will be sad to see them go.

My secret desire right now: The Northern Lights Festival 2006 in Tromsø, Norway in January.

1 comment:

Allie Wojtaszek said...

Hmmm. Would be cool to go to Norway, but closer look at the festival reveals it is actually more about, well, music. I can find music here, so I am scratching Norway for January... ;-)