Northern Lights Could Illuminate Canadian Skies Monday Night
CANADA — Skywatchers across Canada may have a rare opportunity to see the northern lights Monday night. Clear skies could offer a spectacular view, thanks to recent solar activity.
On Sunday, the sun released an X1.9 solar flare, followed by a coronal mass ejection (CME), according to the U.S. Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). X-class flares are the most powerful on the solar scale. This flare lasted several hours, making it stronger than typical flares of the same magnitude.
CMEs are large bursts of particles from the sun that travel faster than the usual solar wind. When these particles reach Earth, they interact with its magnetic field and create the northern lights, or aurora borealis. In the southern hemisphere, similar displays are called the aurora australis.
The good news for viewers is that Earth is currently in the path of this CME, increasing the likelihood of seeing vibrant aurora displays. Experts encourage those with clear skies to look up and enjoy the phenomenon.
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