The northern lights in Canada could be visible in the southernmost parts of the country this weekend because of a potential geomagnetic storm!
According to The Weather Network, a solar storm is approaching Earth and when it arrives, it could lead to the aurora borealis being in the sky across all of Canada, even in the south where it’s not usually visible.
On March 10, a solar flare exploded out from the sun that lasted for almost 12 hours. Then, an eruption of a cloud of charged solar particles, which is also called a coronal mass ejection, happened as well.
Models are predicting that the storm will pass Earth late on Sunday, March 13.
Even a brief brush by a coronal mass ejection can cause a geomagnetic storm, and in this case, it’s expected that Earth will be affected by the densest part of the cloud of charged solar particles.
That could lead to an intense geomagnetic storm, which would mean the northern lights would be visible all over Canada and down into the northern parts of the U.S.
Typically, the aurora is visible in areas that are more northern and closer to the pole, but during a geomagnetic storm, the natural phenomenon tends to be brighter and visible further south.
It’s predicted that a G2, or moderate, geomagnetic storm is possible as the coronal mass ejection hits Earth.
With a G2 storm, people in Vancouver all the way to Atlantic Canada could be able to see the aurora. That even includes southern Ontario!
It’s also possible that geomagnetic activity on Sunday night and into Monday could be stronger than anticipated, which would mean the northern lights would be even brighter.
According to the Canadian Space Agency, to see the northern lights it’s best to find a location that’s free of light pollution because city lights could obscure your view.
Then, look all around you and not just to the north, as the aurora can appear anywhere in the sky!
Comments are closed.