ABOVE: Dramatic footage emerged online on Wednesday of beautiful lights in the sky filmed during a severe solar storm which hit Earth on Tuesday
Update: The Kp index dropped to seven at 5 p.m.
TORONTO — In a city rife with lights that blot out the night sky, it’s rare to catch the northern lights. But tonight Torontonians may get their chance.
A major geomagnetic storm began around 11:30 a.m. and as of 4:30 p.m. it hadn’t subsided. This was the result of several Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CME) that left the sun several days earlier.
The Kp Index measures the intensity of geomagnetic storms. On a good day it might reach Kp four or five. But for it to reach eight is rare. In fact, this is the strongest storm in this solar cycle — which lasts approximately 11 years.
When the Kp is so high, the northern lights are much more intense. However, another factor needs to be in place for places at lower latitudes — like Toronto — to see them. That’s the auroral hole. It needs to be facing south. So far today, it’s been far south, which bodes very well for Toronto.
The geomagnetic storm intensified on Tuesday morning and people across Canada were given a show in the early morning hours (not in Toronto; the sun had already risen by then). The storm waned somewhat and then fired off the extremely intense storm that lasted for most of the day. Even in the storm that hadn’t peaked quite yet, people in Vancouver reported seeing them through the city lights.
The hope is that the auroral hole will continue to face south and the storm will still stay at eight as the sun sets in Toronto.
Now, if the Kp index drops (you can check here), your chance of seeing them against bright city lights drops as well.
Still, if the Kp stays around five or six, try driving out of the city to an area with few lights. This handy map shows you areas with light pollution. Try to find an area out of the white. And you might want to set up a camera on a tripod at a high ISO setting and shoot for about ten to 25 seconds. Even faint aurorae will show up.
Oh, and the weather is cooperating: it will be mainly clear tonight.
So let’s hope it’s Toronto’s lucky day.
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