'The ground lit up': Northern lights put on show over Manitoba
Sky gazers had plenty to be thankful for over the Thanksgiving weekend.
The northern lights put on a celestial show over Manitoba thanks to the fallout from a solar flare.
“It gave us this beautiful display of northern lights,” explained Scott Young, planetarium astronomer with the Manitoba Museum.
CTV Winnipeg viewer Caroline Stoop took this image of the northern lights in Headingley, Man. (Source: Caroline Stoop)
Young explained the northern lights are caused by activity from the sun, and are not just visible in very northern communities.
“The sun is sending out heat and light, of course, but all sorts of other radiation as well off into space, and that travels all the way through space and reaches us here on the earth,” he said.
Young explained that much of the sun’s radiation gets filtered out by the earth’s atmosphere. The earth’s magnetic field essentially collects that radiation and all those particles from the sun near the north and south poles.
A highland cow takes in the northern lights near Komarno, Man. (Source: Fran Wilkinson)
“That energy has to do something. It builds up and builds up, and eventually it gets to a point where it makes the air itself glow in the dark, so you get this ghostly, green glow in the areas around the north and south poles,” he said.
Young added that the material from a solar flare that happened over the weekend reached the sky here in Manitoba, resulting in a beautiful display of northern lights Monday night.
The display lit up the comment section of Manitoba Aurora and Astronomy – a Facebook group for Manitoba-based aurora chasers. A thread dedicated to the group’s observations Monday night generated over 400 comments and photos.
The northern lights lit up parts of the province Monday night, including in Oxford House, Man. (Source: Melinda Wood)
“Everyone was commenting at that point,” said Justin Anderson, co-creator of Manitoba Aurora and Astronomy. “You started to see a lot of light in it. You got the purples, the pinks, the greens, all to your naked eye. It was so bright, that it was brighter than a full moon last night, so the ground lit up and I didn’t even need a light to walk around with, and that’s the part where everyone gets excited.”
Anderson co-created the group in July of 2020 to form a community of aurora chasers in Manitoba. Thanks to word of mouth, media coverage, and a few particularly stunning northern lights displays, the group has ballooned to 25,000 members.
“I never dreamed of a community this big and a community this advanced,” Anderson said, noting that members help each other with finding a clear place to view the lights, photography tips and more.
Georgette Dupont captured this photo of the northern lights shining near Lac du Bonnet, Man. (Source: Georgette Dupont)
TIPS FOR VIEWING THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Young said many celestial fans knew to watch for Monday’s night northern lights by tracking solar data.
However if you missed the show, Young hopes there could still be some activity tonight.
“It really depends. These solar flares, you never know how long they’re going to last, and there’s already some indication that maybe it’s tapering off a little bit, but I’m going out tonight to make sure that I don’t miss it. I saw the pictures from last night, and I’m kicking myself for not being out there,” he said.
Hannah Bjornson took this photo of the northern lights from Gimli, Man. (Source: Hannah Bjornson)
If you’re looking to optimize your viewing experience, Young recommends heading away from the lights of your city or town.
“You want to get to a place where there are no streetlights shining in your face,” he said.
“Ideally, you want to not have a big city or town to your north. I like to go to Birds Hill Provincial Park because from there, you’re looking north from Winnipeg and you’re not seeing those city lights.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A 'tragedy that can't be measured': North Bay's forever chemical problem is also the rest of Canada's
For decades, North Bay, Ontario's water supply has harboured chemicals associated with liver and developmental issues, cancer and complications with pregnancy. It's far from the only city with that problem.
Bouchard lifts Edmonton Oilers to 4-3 overtime win over Canucks in Game 2
Evan Bouchard scored 5:38 into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back for a 4-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs on Friday.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Questlove was not happy with Drake and Kendrick Lamar's beef: 'Nobody won the war'
While some may have been excited and/or amused by the diss-track feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, the man many consider to be an elder statesman of hip-hop appears less than enthused about it.
Israel orders new evacuations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah as it prepares to expand operations
Israel ordered new evacuations in Gaza's southern city of Rafah on Saturday, forcing tens of thousands more people to move as it prepares to expand its operation and adding that it is also moving into an area in northern Gaza where Hamas has regrouped.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.