Geomagnetic Storm recently Seen Across Canada and much of the Northern United States
Updated: Apr 5, 2022
April 2, 2022
Many folks in Canada and the upper United States have been fortunate enough to witness heightened northern light activity during the previous few days. Auroras have been seen as far south as Nevada, and they look to be a bright red.
Because of a massive coronal mass ejection from the sun, a strong geomagnetic storm watch was in effect from March 31 to April 2, 2022.
An aurora surged across the northern United States and Canada on Wednesday night. Many others remarked on the aurora's intense red, which could be seen with the naked eye, while the dancing lights showed in greens, purples, and pinks. Hundreds, if not thousands, of amateur photographers have been out exploring dark dirt roads throughout the continent in search of the ideal snap as the aurora borealis was anticipated to explode in the night sky during the last several days.
If you didn't know, the northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are a stunning, colorful show of light that can be seen in the northern hemisphere's night sky, but not as frequently as they have been in recent days.
The bright dancing lights of the aurora are actually collisions between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth's atmosphere.
Northern lights have been seen as far south as New Orleans in the western hemisphere, but equivalent regions in the east have never witnessed the enigmatic lights. The finest spots to see the Northern Lights (in North America) are in Canada's northwestern provinces, including Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Alaska.
Dre Erwin, a photographer from Craven, Saskatchewan, Canada, shot the light show at 1030 p.m. "Having lived in Regina and Moose Jaw for much of my life, these were some of the greatest reds I've ever seen." "Normally, only a camera can see red, but these colours were apparent with the naked eye," Erwin explains.
Auroral displays come in a variety of colours, although the most prevalent are mild green and pink. There have been reports of red, yellow, green, blue, and violet hues. The lights come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from patches or scattered clouds of light to streamers, arcs, rippling curtains, or shooting beams that cast an eerie glow across the sky.
Auroral displays can also be visible over Greenland's southern tip, Iceland, Norway's northern shore, and the coastal waters north of Siberia. Because auroras in the southern hemisphere are concentrated in a ring around Antarctica and the southern Indian Ocean, they are rarely seen.
Areas that are not subject to 'light pollution' are the best places to watch for the lights. Areas in the north, in smaller communities, tend to be best.
Photographers frequently have to travel outside of the city to locate these dark skies. "It's ideal to go out throughout the day and scope out a site before it gets too dark," Erwin advises. Persistence is often required.
Fun Fact: Some people claim to hear noises associated with the northern lights, but documenting this phenomenon has been difficult.
Did you get some pictures of the northern lights in Canada or the United States over the last few days? We would love to see them...
