The Northern Lights Are Dipping Down Across Canada & Could Be Visible Even In Southern Ontario
Almost all of the country could see the aurora borealis this weekend! 👀
Northern lights in the sky over Toronto. Right: Northern lights reflecting off a lake in Saskatchewan.
The northern lights are swooping down across Canada and almost all of the country could be able to see it, including places in southern Ontario!
After putting on a stunning show in the skies over Canada on Thursday night, the aurora borealis is expected to dazzle again over the weekend, according to the northern lights forecast.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center has forecast that the northern lights are likely to appear across most of the country at night on Friday, March 24.
You can see where the northern lights could pop up with a map from the Space Weather Prediction Center which includes a view line that shows the southernmost locations from which you could see it on the northern horizon.
The view line extends down into the northern U.S., meaning all of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are likely to be able to see the northern lights on Friday night.
Also, that line is slightly north of Lake Ontario so people in southern Ontario still have a chance at spotting the aurora.
All of Quebec is within the viewing area along with parts of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland.
This same forecast, including the locations that are within the view line, is currently in place for the night of Saturday, March 25 as well.
According to the three-day forecast from the Space Weather Prediction Center, G1 (minor) to G2 (moderate) geomagnetic storms are likely on March 25 and into March 26 because of coronal hole high speed stream influences.
Coronal holes are regions of open magnetic fields on the sun which allow the solar wind to escape into space easier.
Then, coronal hole high speed streams can form and when those arrive at Earth, they have the potential to cause escalated geomagnetic activity and storms, the Space Weather Prediction Center said.
If you're wondering when the best time to see northern lights in Canada is, you have the best chances of seeing it from December to March but it appears almost every night between August and May.
The Canadian Space Agency has aurora viewing for anyone who wants to try and catch a glimpse of the northern lights.
First, you should choose a location that's away from city lights so that low-intensity auroras can still be spotted.
Then, try to look up in all directions because the northern lights could appear anywhere in the sky.
Also, the northern lights tend to start a few hours after sunset and then get more intense around midnight, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.