Northern Lights in the YukonSophie ChenAward: Top 100
School: trinity school Over my winter break, my friends and I traveled to Whitehorse Canada, in the Yukon territory, which is just north of Juneau and east of Fairbanks, Alaska. This expansive land, though sparsely populated (with about forty thousand inhabitants), exuded a sense of community where it felt like everyone knew each other, even those separated by hours of travel. The sun rose at noon and set at roughly 4PM, and the temperature stayed well below freezing. During these brief daytime hours, I got to meet the fascinating people and dogs behind a dog sledding team, meet the baby of a family-run snowmobiling firm, and go for short outings in the nearby grocery markets and little shops. At night, we went stargazing and searching for Northern Lights. Though they ultimately presented as lazily flickering white clouds in the late-night sky, it was simply because the sky wasn't entirely clear, and my trip coincided with a full moon, putting my eyes at a disadvantage. The moonlight cast on the clouds often blurred the distinction between Northern Lights and clouds. However, I adjusted my phone camera to use a 10-second exposure, allowing for the vivid colors of the aurora to shine prominently in my photos. Looking back on my trip, I'm reminded that even amid atmospheric challenges, the Northern Lights remain a testament to the captivating wonders found in the night sky. 
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