On Thursday, March 23, 2023, God gave us a surprise aurora display of epic proportions. I went out around 9pm, and captured some beautiful photos of deep green auroras. Around 10:50am, while I was standing on a bridge near Lucan, Ontario, the sky exploded before my eyes. It started with several bands and was so intense that I actually pointed the camera to the south (not just north) and captured them. It felt like the heavens were torn open right above where I was standing.

Several people have asked me when they will be visible again. I’ve shared this article in the past, but just in case, here it is again: The Northern Lights: An Educational Guide from a Lower-Latitude Photographer. The main thing to understand is — they aren’t just happening all the time (at least not this far south). Often when I get an alert, I will go out driving and only see faint pale auroras in the distance); sometimes, I don’t see anything (especially if it’s cloudy). Usually, moments like this happen quickly and by surprise. The best advice I can give is — if you get an aurora alert (see article), take a drive to see what you can see. If something extraordinary happens, then you are there to witness it. If you see nothing, well, at least you get a nice country drive out of it. Either way, praise God.

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Oh, that You would tear open the heavens and come down

— Isaiah 64:1a (ESV)