'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
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.