Here’s why we are seeing the Northern Lights in Greater Vancouver
Christoph Rondeau is a professional photographer and videographer based in Coquitlam. Even if it meant a late night, he wasn’t going to miss out on the rare chance to see the Aurora Borealis.
“It's really light to the eye. And it really took a long exposure photo to really have it coming through,” said Rondeau, who took videos and photos overlooking Pitt River Thursday night.
“But even without that, you could still see it coming in waves and just the motion of and the look of it was pretty fantastic.”
Raj Chopra went to Burnaby Mountain Park, which saw large crowds well into the night and early morning.
“Slowly and gradually we reached there, though it was around 10 to 15 minutes of traffic jam,” said Chopra. “Lights were dancing red, green. I mean, it was a magical experience for me.”
A UBC Professor of Physics and Astronomy explained why Greater Vancouver has already seen multiple displays in 2024.
"It's actually a very natural cycle," said Dr. Boley.
"The sun goes through phases of higher activity and it's on an 11-year period. It varies a little bit for every single cycle, but overall there is a rise and a peak in activity and then it drops again. So, we're getting close to what is expected to be the peak of this solar cycle."
Boley said the peak is filled with increased magnetic activity, in some cases causing power outages and disruptions to satellite navigation systems.
“These things called these coronal mass ejections, where the sun ejects plasma out into space, and sometimes the Earth gets in the way and that creates a geomagnetic storm,” he said.
Boley said it is unlikely Friday night or the weekend will produce similar results to Thursday’s stellar show.
“The forecast is not nearly as good,” he said.
However, while he can’t provide an exact timeline, he does expect a return of a similar display at some point within the next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
PM Trudeau revives Canada-U.S. relations cabinet committee after Trump win
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is reviving a special cabinet committee dedicated to Canada-U.S. relations, following Republican Donald Trump's re-election.
Biden blamed by Harris allies for resounding loss to Trump
Joe Biden's name wasn't on the ballot, but history will likely remember Kamala Harris' resounding defeat as his loss too.
Inside Canada's chaotic response to avian flu
A CFIA official is calling it the 'largest animal health emergency that this country has ever had to face.' A joint IJF/CTV News investigation looks into Canada's response to the bird flu pandemic, and how it's ravaged the country's farms.
Cuba left reeling after Category 3 hurricane ravages island and knocks out power grid
Cuba was left reeling Thursday after a fierce Category 3 hurricane ripped across the island, knocking out the country's power grid, downing trees and damaging infrastructure. No fatalities were immediately reported.
The world's 10 richest people got a record US$64 billion richer from Trump's re-election
Wednesday wasn't just a good day for Donald Trump. The wealth of the world’s 10 richest people also soared by a record amount, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire Index.
Police in southern Mexico find 11 bodies, including two of minors, dumped by a highway
Police in a southern Mexico region rife with drug cartel violence have found 11 bodies, including two of minors, dumped by a highway, prosecutors in the state of Guerrero said Thursday.
Influencer is banned from future NYC marathons for bringing a camera crew to last weekend's race
A social media influencer from Texas was disqualified from last weekend's New York City Marathon and banned from future competitions after he ran the race with a camera crew on e-bikes in tow.
Car dealership employees accused of selling stolen cars: Toronto police
Two suspects accused of selling stolen cars while employed at a legitimate car dealership in Toronto are now facing a combined 176 charges, police say.
Sleepy during the day? You may be at higher risk for a pre-dementia syndrome, study finds
If you find yourself sleepy during your daily activities in your older age, you may need to consider it more than an inconvenience — since the fatigue may indicate you’re at higher risk for developing a condition that can lead to dementia, a new study has found.