'It was a whole dance of lights': Aurora borealis peeks through the clouds in Vancouver
Samuel Troya saw the northern lights over Vancouver once before, about a year and a half ago, but it was nothing like the spectacle he witnessed Friday morning.
"That day, it was only a soft glow over the city," Troya said of his previous encounter with the aurora borealis.
"Yesterday's was breathtaking. It was a whole dance of lights all across the sky at one point."
Troya is just one of numerous skywatchers across Vancouver and across the country who turned their eyes – and camera lenses – to the heavens overnight.
The recent UBC graduate told CTV News he's passionate about landscape photography and knew he wanted to try to take advantage of the geomagnetic storm watch that was expected to produce colourful auroras across northern skies Thursday night.
"It's definitely so, so luck-based," Troya said. "What's crazy about last night is that it was forecasted, but Vancouver being Vancouver, it was super cloudy, so I never even thought that I was going to see them."
"I woke up at 2 a.m. By chance, I saw that the sky was clear, so I grabbed my stuff and rushed to the beach to see if I could see something."
Photos and a short video that Troya shared with CTV News were recorded around 2:30 a.m. at Kits Beach, he said.
Originally from Ecuador, he said he's lived in Vancouver for six years, and has always found the city and surrounding landscape breathtaking. A desire to share the city's sights with friends and family is what motivated him to get out of bed in the middle of the night, he said.
"It's such a beautiful city, and I just love being able to share everything that it has, including northern lights from time to time," Troya said.
Thursday night's display was a result of an Earth-facing coronal hole on the sun and solar winds, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
For those who missed the northern lights overnight Thursday, NOAA says there's still a chance for another show Friday night.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.