Northern Lights put on another dazzling display in southern Ontario
The Northern Lights put on another spectacular show on Thursday night, with shades of blue, pink and green rippling across the night sky.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted the aurora borealis would be visible across much of the country but it was unclear how much of it could be seen from southern Ontario.
According to their latest forecasting models, there’s a chance we could see the Northern Lights for a second time this weekend.
That’s because of recent coronal mass ejections (CME), or eruption of solar material, towards Earth. When those electrons reach our planet they collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in our upper atmosphere, releasing that energy in the form of light.
The Northern Lights as seen from Guelph, Ont. on Oct. 10, 2024. (Courtesy: Jeff Turner)
In May, southern Ontario was also treated a dazzling display of the aurora borealis.
But it’s not often that we see it more than one night in a row.
"This is quite rare and only in the years where solar activity is the highest does it happen for a few nights," Ethen Sun, an astronomer at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Toronto, told CTVNews.ca in an email.
The further north you live, the better the celestial show.
For the best view, experts recommend travelling outside the city to avoid light pollution.
Click the viewer below for more CTV viewer photos of the aurora borealis or check out this photo gallery.
- With additional reporting from CTV Toronto and NOAA
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live election results: Trump retakes the White House, defeats Harris by winning key swing states
AP has declared the battleground state of Michigan for Trump. That completes his sweep of the 'Blue Wall' states that surround the Great Lakes.
Trump wins the White House in a political comeback rooted in appeals to frustrated voters
Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday, an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
Read the full transcript of Donald Trump's victory speech
The former U.S. president and now president-elect addressed a crowd of supporters at his campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., shortly after 2:30 a.m. EST, Wednesday morning.
'Canada will be absolutely fine': Justin Trudeau, his ministers and Pierre Poilievre congratulate Donald Trump
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday morning on his second United States presidential election win, amid questions about how the federal government intends to navigate a second term.
4 ways in which Donald Trump's election was historic
Donald Trump's election victory was history-making in several respects, even as his defeat of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris prevented other firsts. She would have been the nation's first Black and South Asian woman to be president.
Who won the popular vote? U.S. election vote totals from the past 40 years
Donald Trump won the U.S. presidency on Tuesday, and as of Wednesday morning, was also ahead in the popular vote. Historically, though, the candidate with the most votes hasn’t always won the contest.
'How to move to Canada' surges on Google as U.S. wakes up to Donald Trump win
U.S. search engine queries about moving to Canada shot up Wednesday in the wake of Donald Trump’s decisive win in the presidential election.
Kamala Harris made a historic dash for the White House. Here's why she fell short.
It was a moment that encapsulated one of the biggest challenges facing U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign – which, in the end, proved insurmountable. A country crying out for change got a candidate who, at a crucial moment as more voters were tuning in, decided to soft-pedal the change she knew she represented.
Woman's killing by male partner in Nova Scotia all too familiar: researcher
As police investigate the killing of a 71-year-old woman in Nova Scotia by her male partner, the head of an Ontario research group on violence against women says the situation is all too familiar.