Banff Travel

Canada 🇨🇦 Calgary 💚 Never thought I’d witness a stunning aurora outbreak here! Calgary was always just a “transit point” in my mind—merely a stopover on the way to Banff. Before arriving, I had no clue this city could even see the aurora 😂. But life’s full of surprises, and last night, we hit the cosmic jackpot: a swirling, dancing aurora that was so vivid, its shifts and pulses were visible to the naked eye. It felt like the sky was putting on a private light show just for us—truly (mind-blowing) 💕. We’ve spent the past few nights chasing these northern lights, and after a few trial-and-error moments, here’s what we learned: 1️⃣ Master the KP scale with an aurora app 🌌 Download a reliable aurora app (we swear by AuroraWatch and My Aurora Forecast)—they’ll show you the KP index, which measures aurora intensity. Here’s the tea: KP 5 or below? The lights are usually faint—you’ll need your phone’s night mode with a 3-5 second time-lapse to capture them clearly (your eyes might miss them entirely). KP 5 and above? Game on. Ours hit KP 6, and the greens were so bright they painted the sky like liquid emerald. At KP 7? You can film them in real time with your phone—no fancy gear needed. It’s like nature’s own Instagram filter, but better. 2️⃣ Forget “popular spots”—hunt for true darkness 🚗 We wasted a night at a crowded lakeside area (so many car headlights ruined the shots 😫) and another at a “viral” park (streetlights killed the vibe). The best spot? A random empty field off a quiet backroad, 20 minutes from downtown. No light pollution, no crowds—just us, the stars, and the auroras stretching unbroken across the horizon. Pro tip: Drive until you can’t see city lights. If the Milky Way’s visible, you’re in the right place. 3️⃣ Aurora selfies? Here’s the cheat code 📸 Want that iconic shot of you with the lights? Grab a friend to hold a second phone (on low brightness!) to gently light your face—too much light will wash out the auroras. Then set your main camera to night mode, 3-5 second exposure, and hold still. Boom: You, glowing softly, with the auroras swirling behind you. It looks like magic, but it’s just science (and a little luck). Calgary might not be the first place you think of for auroras, but that’s what makes it special. It’s a reminder that some of the best travel moments aren’t planned—they’re the ones that surprise you when you least expect them. #Aurora #Canada #CanadaTravel #BanffTravel #Calgary #NorthernLights #AuroraChase #CanadaAurora