Saskatchewan meteorologists call northern lights a ‘one-in-100-year solar event’
Residents throughout Saskatchewan are witnessing one thing actually particular this week: the aurora borealis.
The brilliance and magnitude this yr is one thing that even avid chasers of the northern lights possible haven’t seen of their lifetime, in line with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.
“Positively speaking to the previous timers, we’re seeing much more exercise than we’ve usually seen,” Royal Astronomical Society of Canada member Tim Yaworski mentioned Thursday.
Yaworski added that the power of the lights can also be uncommon inside metropolis limits.
“For us to have the ability to step out of our again door and lookup and see that’s actually, extremely uncommon, due to the truth that sure, there’s loads of light pollution,” Yaworski mentioned.
Global News meteorologist Peter Quinlan mentioned the trigger for the explosion of colors begins when the solar emits off solar storms.
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“When the mass coronal ejection occurs within the solar, mainly it sends photons in the direction of the earth after which it interacts with the earth’s outer environment,” Quinlan defined. “It causes a little bit of a chemical response which is what we see because the northern lights.”
These photo voltaic storms are available in cycles — roughly each 11 years — however Quinlan mentioned this present cycle is definitely fairly uncommon. The magnitude and rarity of those dancing lights are one thing aurora chasers and beginner photographers might infrequently see.
“This will likely be a reasonably enhanced exercise,” he mentioned. “That is what’s being known as a one-in-100-year photo voltaic occasion.”
“We are going to see a variety of extra uncommon colors seen within the night time sky, just like the uncommon pink aurora could possibly be seen, a number of the purple aurora’s in addition to some that look a little bit extra blue.”
Quinlan expects this cycle will final for roughly the following yr, so view seekers will nonetheless have an opportunity to catch the aurora borealis in all its shining glory.
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