The Northern Lights Shone Over Canada This Weekend & Many Got To See A Dazzling Show (PHOTOS)
Auroras lit up the skies for the second weekend in a row. ✨
Northern lights seen over Saskatchewan.
Canadians got the chance to see a classic natural wonder of Canada this weekend as the northern lights lit up skies across the country.
Vivid auroras were visible in the skies this weekend thanks to a strong geomagnetic storm, the same storm that made the lights visible over Europe and North America last week.
According to The Weather Network, the northern lights could be seen because of a coronal mass ejection that occurred on Thursday.
A CME is an eruption of plasma and magnetic field that streams away from the sun's corona, aka the outer layer.
When a CME hits Earth’s magnetic field, charged particles enter the Earth's upper atmosphere around the magnetic north and south poles, colliding with gasses like oxygen and nitrogen and allowing us to see vivid hues of green, orange, pink and red in the sky.
Canadians captured the brilliant auroras seen over the country this weekend, with many posting photos online of the northern lights.
In Alberta, many shared photos of green and purple auroras seen in the skies near Edmonton and Calgary.
The lights could also be seen from areas in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
And were even seen in parts of Eastern and Southwestern Ontario.
If you missed your chance to see the lights this weekend, you don't need to worry too much — while a geomagnetic storm is the best time to see the northern lights, it's possible to see the lights almost anywhere in Canada, and some places see auroras over 300 nights per year.
Winter, from December to March, is often the best time for chances of viewing the aurora, offering more hours of darkness each day and frequent cold, clear nights. You can also track auroral and solar activity online to determine the best time to look for the lights.
Some scientists are also predicting more vibrant aurora displays in the coming months.
According to CTV News, scientists say we’re approaching a "solar maximum," aka the sun's peak storm season in an 11-year cycle.
Because of this, experts say we could see more intense auroras over the next year or so, meaning you could get your chance to see the dazzling lights.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.