We’re all amateur astronomers when the northern lights show up as vividly as they have lately, not the least of which was Tuesday night. Northern lights enthusiast and librarian Karina Douglas-Takayesu says we’re in the middle of an eleven-year cycle that began in late 2019, during which a lot of spots on the sun release bursts of energy. As those gases bounce off it, the energy is released as light, ranging from a slight glow to lots of colours dancing across the sky. Douglas-Takayesu says the technology of the last several years makes a good camera less vital to good photos. “Anything that’s from the last let’s say five years, you are able to get a good picture when it’s active light.