Sky gazers could be in for quite a treat later this week.
The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are expected to make an appearance across most of Canada on Thursday night.
The Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) says auroral activity will be high both Wednesday and Thursday, with measurements of five and six projected on the K-index.
“The K-index, and by extension the Planetary K-index (Kp), are used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms,” explains the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Any time Kp is measured at five or more it indicates a geomagnetic storm, which means Thursday night could turn out to be a prime night for the Northern Lights.
“Weather permitting, highly active auroral displays will be visible overhead from Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit to Vancouver, Helena, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Bay City, Toronto, Montpelier and Charlottetown, and visible low on the horizon from Salem, Boise, Cheyenne, Lincoln, Indianapolis and Annapolis,” the UAF website notes about Thursday night.
The Thompson-Okanagan is smack dab in the middle of where auroral activity is expected to be highest, which means it could be an exciting night for sky gazers and photographers.
Of course, that means Mother Nature will have to behave, but the current seven-day forecast calls for clear skies on Thursday night.
Given that it’s July, there will also be less darkness to see aurora borealis, but people will still have a few hours to get away from city lights and hopefully see the phenomenon.
The Northern Lights have seemingly become a bit more common in more southern latitudes this year, including a spectacular show across the Thompson-Okanagan in late February.
