(End of) February Sweetness
Aurora Borealis, Yosemite's wonders, and the signs of spring ahead
The news has been bleak, and yet the world is still a wonder. So before we find ourselves in that wild and transitional month of March, let’s take a moment to celebrate the sweetness of February before it ends.
Here are three events going on, two quotes for the season, and one grounding activity to get you slowing down right now.1
Three Events to Celebrate this Month
1. Northern Lights
The northern lights (also known as aurora borealis) are characterized by colorful, dancing lights in the night sky. They occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in Earth's atmosphere, creating beautiful displays of light primarily near the polar regions.
This is the best time of the year to see the the northern lights because of the longer and darker winter night skies in the northern hemisphere.
As with 2024, this year is another especially vivid year for aurora borealis sightings because we in the peak of a roughly 11-year cycle in solar activity, known as solar maximum. When there's a lot of activity from the sun (like strong solar winds or solar flares) it tends to make the northern lights more intense and easier to see.
During the solar maximum, the aurora zone also spreads further south, making it possible to occasionally see the northern lights at 40 degrees latitude or even lower (aka as far south as Denver, CO, Philadelphia, PA, or Rome, Italy).
Interested in knowing more about solar maximum (including it’s disruptive potential to our satellites) and the period of greater spectacle? This PBS News spot provides a quick explainer:
2. Squirrels are having kits
Squirrels typically breed two times of year — in late winter and late summer — and give birth to their babies, or “kits,” during their winter cycle sometime around February or March.
Generally, squirrels give birth to litters ranging from one to eight offspring, with three or four being more common. Kits wean at about 10 weeks of age and are ready to leave the nest by around 12 weeks.
3. Yosemite’s “Firefall” Occurs
National Parks have been taking a hit in the current news cycle as jobs and budgets get slashed, so it seems a good time to remember why they are so special and worth preserving.
Right now, the spectacular optical phenomenon known as “Firefall” is occuring in Yosemite National Park, in which the setting sun aligns perfectly with the waterfall known as Horsetail Falls, casting a glow upon the waterfall that makes it seem like a lava flow.
This natural spectacle happens when the combination of clear skies, the angle of the setting sun, the amount of water, and the waterfall's orientation all line up to create the illusion of a cascading river of fire against the granite cliffs.
During the latter half of February, this event occurs around 5 to 15 minutes before sunset. The peak viewing time has just past but it’s still worth seeing if you happen to live near Yosemite NP.
Two Quotes for February
1.
In honor the 1993 movie classic, Groundhog Day, here’s Bill Murray’s Phil at his most fed up:
“You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.”
2.
Or perhaps we might appreciate this gentler version of Phil in Groundhog Day a little better?
"When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter."
Slowing Down: Try this as we move into March
Have you started to notice the swelling of buds or appearance of spring bulbs yet where you live? This is the of year to start paying attention.
For the rest of the month, plan in some slow walks in different neighborhoods to take a closer look at gardens, plants, and trees to see if you can notice any difference.
Start now, and keep checking in each week.
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