Star Gazing

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.