Photo via Fiona M. Donnelly
You may want to look up into the night sky this week as the Northern Lights may be visible in Toronto, once again.
If you happened to miss last week’s astronomical event, there may still be a chance for you to catch all the action today and Friday.
Per the University of Alaska Fairbanks, auroral activity is extremely high for October 10th and even into the 11th.
“High(+++) aurora activity forecasted. If skies are clear, highly active auroral displays may be visible overhead from locations such as Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit, Canada, to Carson City, Oklahoma City, Little Rock and Raleigh, U.S.A.; and may be visible low on the horizon from Southern California, Phoenix, Austin, and Montgomery, U.S.A.,” shared the site.
That means Toronto has a greater chance than recently, to see the Northern Lights dance in the night sky.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), issued a G4 (severe) storm watch for Thursday due to a “fast coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the Sun the evening of 8 October, 2024, and is likely to arrive at Earth on 10 October.”
“There is potential to reach G4 (Severe) upon arrival of this CME and throughout its passage. We won’t know the characteristics of the CME until it arrives 1 million miles from Earth and its speed and magnetic intensity are measured by the DSCOVR and ACE satellites,” they add.
Based on the Kp number system, which measures the strength of the auroras, 0 is calm, and 9 is a major geomagnetic storm with strong auroras visible. At the time of writing for October 10th, it stands at an 8.
According to the University of Alaska, the best time to watch for aurora is three or four hours around midnight. Though they will occur throughout the night, they stand out around 9 PM to 3 AM.
Ditch the city core for the night! You’ll have to venture a little more north if you want to get a better chance of viewing them.
Due to light pollution, it’ll be much more difficult to see them if you are in a downtown park, for example.
Looking for viewing locations in Ontario? Check out these Dark Sky Preserves near Toronto.
It looks like Toronto may be in luck.
Though a mix of sun and clouds may take over most of Thursday morning, per Environment Canada, it is expected to clear out late this evening.
So if you’ve ever wanted to see them bright and in person, tonight is your best bet!
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