For as far back as I can remember I have wanted to see the northern lights. Garage calendars handed out to patrons after an oil change can be expected to include a photo of these colourful streaks in the sky. I remember these pictures hanging during one of the winter months in the kitchen during my childhood. Having grown up in St. John's, the lights were an impossibility at that latitude. Once I decided to move to Alberta, I became excited at the possibility of seeing these polar lights. Unfortunately, due to living in the city centre where even stars are usually not visible and not living quite far north enough, I have not yet seen the polar auroras.
To aid in catching a view of the lights, I signed up for a northern lights tracker. Unfortunately, I have yet to receive any emails indicating that the lights are visible in my area. However, I have learned that the lights were named after the Roman Goddess of Dawn, Aurora and the Greek word for north wind, Boreas by French philosopher Pierre Gassendi in 1621. Seeing the northern lights is another reason why I very much want to visit the Yukon or Northwest Territories during my stint in Western Canada.
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