The Star Streaking Sky of Northern Cape Breton

Did you know that Northern Cape Breton has the least amount of light pollution in all of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia? You can barely see our region from space even when it isn't Earth Hour! The Park, Meat Cove, the hill behind my house, and many other areas are naturally unlit: making Northern Cape Breton a great location for star gazing and watching meteor showers streak through the sky.

I spent  plenty of nights on my front step lounging with my good friend Michael MacKinnon star gazing, meteor gazing and dream gazing; we have looked to the night sky as children, teenagers, young men and now with our children who are just as amazed by the diamond, twinkling sky as we are. The beauty of a falling star on a cold winter's night streaking above the drift ice; the explosion of shooting star during an outdoor music festival at the Bay St. Lawrence Community Centre bringing a round of applause from the raucous revelers, and the argument over whether that is a big pot or big bear with my Belgium friend, are all fond memories of my amateur star gazing adventures.

In fact, one of the highlights of my Philadelphia family's summer vacation was enjoying the famous Perseids shower in August. Sitting on their deck at night, at the end of Money Point Road in Bay St. Lawrence, at the foot of the Highlands, on a cliff, above a rocky cove filled with pristine water and wandering whales, we'd chance the spotting of a Lynx, but were guaranteed a brilliant display of star-shooting majesty across an unending, unpolluted Cape Breton skyline.

I am excited. April showers bring nighttime photo opportunities: a spring meteor shower is coming this month on the weekend of April 21nd, the Lyrids Meteor Shower. The best part about the Lyrdis meteor shower, is that even if it is cloudy or raining a little, there is nothing more peaceful than sitting by the edge of a cliff, in the dark, staring out over the ocean, while gazing at the sky. There are many starry showers throughout the year. The only way to truly experience these showers is under the brilliance of the naturally lit sky, in the crisp clean, starlit air of Northern Cape Breton. I implore you to stay up late or get up early to enjoy the star-filled night-sky of Northern Cape Breton, especially when those stars are shooting, falling and dancing in the dark. 


Here is good website for Meteor Shower Guides for 2013:

Star Showers of the World

Northern Cape Breton On Film

Whales with Northern Cape Breton Nova Scotia's Highlands as the Backdrop

We purchased a video camera for Oshan Whale Watch and the First Mate Cheryl Fraser, has been taking some lovely videos and I have been uploading them to YouTube (above). You know how it goes, you buy a Volkswagen  so all you see on the road is Vokswagons; naturally, I have been watching more videos than I have been uploading. Here are some the treats I found when I was supposed to be working.

Above is a video of setting Lobster Traps in Neil's Harbour.

 I like this video a lot because, well, I'm a fishermen and because they use similar lobster traps to us, so it easy for me to be biased.  Further, I went to high school with the gentleman who uploaded the video.  We haven't talked in a while, but if I saw him on the wharf we'd lean against the traps and have a nice chat about hockey, fishing, and the weather - which is not idle conversation when you work on the sea.  It would be just like it was fifteen years ago, except back then it was hockey, girls, and the weather.

The next video I liked is one by Eagle North Kayak 

I am extremely biased towards Eagle North Kayak because their owner, capebretonmike on youtube, and I were both in the Drama Club together at Cabot Jr/Sr High (I was the junior at the time), and capebretonmike was a founding member of the Cabot Jr/Sr High Environmental Club; I joined shortly after it was created.

When I planned to write this blog, I figured I would just showcase videos by people that I know, because, well, I am biased.  But, the following video was too cute for me to pass up.

Did John Cabot get that reaction when he landed?

Now, how do you get to the Aspy Bay Dive Bomber's location? How the heck should I know? I am a whale watching fisherman with no time for hikes in the summer, but guess what? A friend of mine, Dennis Doyon, runs a guided adventures business, Sea Spray Outdoor Adventures, and he would gladly take you to places like this. Since I mentioned Dennis, he would be upset if I didn't include some winter videos, which is his favourite time of year.

It's Spring-time in Northern Cape Breton, which to us is still Winter!

Lastly, I will post the two most biased videos without commenting on them, because even I have to admit these videos are added because they are personal to me. One is of my mother's home village of Meat Cove, the other is of a sunset filmed above my house.

Well, I thoroughly enjoyed looking through some videos of Northern Cape Breton, I really should be working and I shouldn't be looking forward to winter, but I love winter and all its frigid glory.

I know, this is a blog which ended up being more biased than I planned. But what can I say, when you live at the Top of Nova Scotia you might be biased, but you are also blessed.