After sitting on the windy dock late last night for ages, I resigned myself to the cold (literally) truth.
I’d been trolled. I wasn’t gonna see an aurora. That might sound like old news, considering the fact that I live in Northern VA; a few latitude lines short’a borealis qualification – usually. However, yesterday, I was informed via the trustworthy media that we geographic peons the celestial princess of pink and emerald brilliance never visits, might just get graced with her illuminated presence briefly. Having spent my forever wanting to see this event (but just never having enough money to fly north – or desire to waste vacation in the cold), I admittedly still keep hope alive that a big enough storm will happen on the sun to bring that bish down to the boondocks like a fallen angel into an alligator pit. Alas, between the light pollution and my bad timing, the only atypical light I saw on the horizon was that teaming off of the surface of the city beyond the trees – like the stink rising off the steaming turd Minnie’d just left in the midst of our adventure (I think the wind and water combo was altogether too stimulating for her). But, lucky for me, another sky-gazing occasion’s coming up in a couple days.
‘cause I may not have seen green sky-lights on St. Patty’s day.
But as the weekend eclipses the workweek, I’ll get to see a solar eclipse on Friday.
And – later – a super moon.
Sure, it’s not as rare as an AB spectacular going down in NOVA; but this’ll be a trifecta of supermoon, solar eclipse, and spring equinox. Backtracking for a second there to that second thing, I actually can’t remember ever seeing a solar eclipse in my life. They’ve happened around me, obvi. But, interestingly enough, I’ve always been in school, at work, or turning into a LOTR creature – all tucked away in my hobbit hovel, hissing at the few intrusive rays of light that violated my cave by making their way through breaks in the venetian blinds that I never bothered to repair. So, obviously, I’m going to turn this into a photo scavenger hunt to compensate for the aurora-no-realis I didn’t see. (Because: cat-less cat lady sans a social life.)
What I wanna know is… how do I capture evidence of an equinox – where the sun shines in at an angle?
Snap my shadow looking diff than usual?
Ideas, anyone?
Suggestions?
Much like my camera shutter (that doesn’t exist beyond a mimic-y phone sound effect anymore), I’m open to ’em…