Rare Opportunity to Observe Northern Lights in Canada’s Skies Tonight

In some parts of Canada, residents who missed the mid-May aurora borealis might have a new chance to witness this spectacle, albeit with a more moderate intensity, on Friday night. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the probabilities of seeing this phenomenon will be high in northern Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, the Prairie provinces, British Columbia, and the Canadian territories. Southern regions of the Western provinces, central Quebec, and Ontario are less likely to have a glimpse of these nocturnal lights. Cities like Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa have minimal chances.

Aurora borealis occur when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The exact prediction of this phenomenon is challenging since solar eruptions are hard to anticipate in terms of timing and impact on Earth’s atmosphere, as explained by Waldir Da Cruz, a meteorologist at Radio-Canada.

Earlier this month, a sunspot, linked to an intense magnetic field, was the epicenter of a series of solar eruptions, the most powerful in two decades. These solar events led to dazzling auroras even in southern cities like Montreal. The same sunspot re-emerged recently after rotating to the far side of the Sun.

The NOAA estimates the geomagnetic storm intensity for Friday night is at a level G2, which is considered moderate; in comparison, the auroras on May 10 reached a G5 level, characterized as extreme. The G2 level will occur from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST on Friday, decreasing to a G1 level until 2 a.m. Residents of Quebec and Ontario will have clear skies to observe the phenomenon if it occurs.

The Canadian Space Weather Center has issued a major geomagnetic storm watch until Saturday at 10 a.m. Solar activity follows an 11-year cycle, and June is expected to offer more aurora borealis sightings, especially on June 6, the night of the new moon, providing a darker sky for observation.