The Northern lights are a common sight in Saskatchewan, but last night they were brighter and closer than usual.
“It was particularly bright last night because it was a very strong coronal mass ejection, which basically, is like a big explosion of material,” post-doctoral researcher Daniel Billett with the Institute of Space and Atmosphere Studies at the University of Saskatchewan explained.
“From now we’re pretty much going to go down, so this is the most aurora in general that we’re going to see for the foreseeable future,” he added.
Global News viewers were quick to capture some of the sights, including Saskatoon resident Talia Clark.
“They were super bright and super crazy, so I ran back inside to grab my camera,” Clark said. “Lots of big, circular stuff. Lots of pinks and purples and colours I haven’t seen for a long time.”
Clark not only saw it from her backyard but climbed up to her roof to get a better view.
“I’ve got my own personal little space. I guess private viewing space for outer space,” she said.
Billet said how often we see the Aurora lights depends on the strength and speed of the Sun and Earth’s magnetic fields.
“The sun has a big magnetic field which interacts with the earth’s magnetic field, ultimately causing the Aurora,” he explained. “When they are stronger or faster, they’re interacting stronger with Earth so we will see the Aurora more often.”
“Usually we have to look north and then we can maybe see it on the horizon a little bit, but it was actually right over our head. So it was very strong and very far south,” he added.
In addition to the magnetic fields, the lights are dependent on the sun’s cycle.
Billett said this is the brightest residents will see the lights for the foreseeable future.
Meanwhile, Clark advises Saskatchewan residents to keep their heads up high.
“Don’t forget to look up and keep your eyes open. And you will see them sooner or later,” she said.