(Submitted Photo/Tim Yaworski)

By Jaryn Vecchio

Aurora Borealis

Northern lights visible across Canada

Mar 31, 2022 | 4:00 PM

People across Canada have a chance to see the Aurora Borealis, also known as the northern lights.

A recent storm on the sun is sending gamma radiation toward the earth, allowing people even in southern communities to see the spectacle once the sun goes down on Thursday.

Tim Yaworski, who’s with the Royal Astronomy Society of Canada – Saskatoon chapter, explained to paNOW just how a storm millions of kilometres away can cause the night sky to light up.

“It sends out solar winds in greater amounts and if it happens to be that this coronal mass ejection is pointing towards the earth. Then it’s sending gamma radiation towards the earth and usually between two to three days, if it happens to interact with our magnetic poles, we get a light show, we get some fireworks.”

Just like its name, the northern lights are usually only seen in communities across the north. However, it’s not uncommon for them to appear farther south.

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Yaworski said the sun goes through an 11-year cycle called solar maximum with the middle years seeing the most activity, including bigger storms. It just happens that the sun is currently in the middle of its cycle.

“In the next year or so, we’re going to see a tapering off and we’re going to see a lot less (northern lights) and then that cycle is going to start building up again.”

There was a couple of nights last fall where this happened.

Meanwhile, those who want to try and see the northern lights should consider leaving their community.

The darker the night, the better the experience will be.

“I drove about 15 minutes out of town, and I spent about an hour out there and it was just absolutely gorgeous,” added Yaworski.

The more north people go, the better the show will potentially be.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow