Senior space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl said a few days ago there was a coronal ejection, a massive outburst of plasma from our sun, causing an aurora in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“I thought it was fantastic,” he said.
The aurora does more than provide a light show, Dahl added. The magnetic storm requires the monitoring of technical system which manage the interconnected power grid and satellite communications across North America.
“Because our magnetic field is having this [magnetic] storm and it’s intensified, that means the natural electric currents that flow around our planet increase and the higher we get on those scale levels, that’s when this can show up on systems power operators use,” said Dahl.
Victor Arora, the University of Waterloo’s observatory coordinator, calls the display a once in a decade event.
“I think it’s really just an inspirational thing for people, a chance for them to understand a little bit about the universe and a little bit about the earth as well, this kind of wonderful rock we’re hurtling around our star on.”
The geomagnetic storms are expected to continue but weaken as we move into the weekend.
To catch an aurora in southern Ontario, explains Arora, people will need to get far from the city lights and hope for a good forecast.
“Nature always has surprises for us, so if you’re not looking up, if you’re not checking for these things, there’s a good chance you might miss it,” he said. “If it’s cloudy or snowy, it’s probably safe for you to turn in for the evening.”
Former U.S. president Donald Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed Friday that alleges that he described a Pentagon 'plan of attack' and shared a classified map related to a military operation.
Air Canada has rejected compensation claims from some travellers who were among the thousands affected by flight delays caused by computer problems in recent weeks -- a response it now calls 'erroneous,' with cash offers en route.
Amid raging wildfires in western and eastern provinces, vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, Craig Stewart, shares what residents need to know about wildfire policy coverage.
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Provincial police with the Bracebridge detachment say a 15-year-old boy, 12-year-old girl, and seven-year-old girl who were reported missing have been found safe.
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Provincial police with the Bracebridge detachment say a 15-year-old boy, 12-year-old girl, and seven-year-old girl who were reported missing have been found safe.
Hundreds of counter-protesters gathered near two schools in Ottawa's west end on Friday to take a stand against a B.C. man who is protesting what he calls "gender ideology."
The Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in Ottawa's west end will be renamed Kichi Zībī Mīkan, if approved by the National Capital Commission's board of directors.
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A 50-year-old man who was severely beaten in the parking lot of Montreal's famed Orange Julep restaurant last month has died of his injuries, police said Friday. The victim died of his injuries in hospital on Thursday following the May 31 altercation. The Montreal police service's major crime unit is now investigating the man's death as the city's 10th homicide of the year.
Nova Scotia has lifted its mandatory evacuation order for Shelburne County, in the area where the largest recorded wildfire in provincial history has been burning for about two weeks.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith named her new cabinet Friday, about two weeks after her United Conservative Party took the majority of seats in Alberta.
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