We're always on the look out for family
adventures. Often those adventures require some travel. Sometimes the
travel is long, other times it's short. Rarely do I think of the
things that can happen right outside our door as adventures. I was
reminded about these 'backyard adventures' the other night. We were
staying at a cottage and after the kids were in bed I decided that I
would head out and take some pictures. It was a perfectly clear night
and the stars were out in full force. It was a stunning sight all
around.
Parry Sound at Night |
As I lay on the ground gazing up at the Milky Way and the seemingly endless sea of stars I watched meteors
careen through the atmosphere and tracked satellites as they moved
across the sky. There were so many things to take in.
The Milky Way |
The icing on
the cake, though, was being fortunate enough to witness the northern
lights. I snapped a few photos of them and was going to wake up the
rest of the family, but they dissipated quickly. They reappeared
about thirty minutes later but again they didn't last long.
An Appearance of the Northern Lights |
That night I was extremely grateful to
have witnessed all that I did. It was a perfect night for star
gazing. I look forward to spending some time with the rest of the
family admiring the vastness of space and seeing what interesting
sights might appear. Sharing nights like that with the family, either
from the backyard or some distant location, will be a real treat.
If you haven't starred at the night sky
lately, head to a dark spot and set aside at least thirty minutes to
take in the night sky. You won't regret it...so long as it's a clear
night. You can also search for Aurora Forecasts to see when the Northern Lights might be active. Here's an example and here's another.