The sun is approaching the peak of an 11-year cycle of solar activity, leading to more frequent aurora borealis linked to unsettled space weather
A severe G4 geomagnetic storm was reported around the planet Thursday, caused by the latest in a number of coronal mass ejections from the sun in the last few months.
Storms resulting from these streams of solar particles cause disturbances in the Earth’s geomagnetic field, potentially affecting such technology as satellite communication, global positioning systems, certain types of radio transmissions and power grids, said the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center in a statement issued Thursday evening.
Visible side-effects of solar storms can be seen as northern lights, which can be detected farther south that usual when such storms are intense.
A forecast issued by the SWPC Thursday showed a very high likelihood of aurora being seen in all of Alberta and almost all of Canada.
Similar cloud cover was forecast for many parts of Alberta.
Monday’s aurora display was in the “sweet spot, right over Calgary” said David J. Knudsen, professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Calgary, in an interview with Postmedia.
Similarly impressive views were reported across the province.
Space weather forecasters did not expect the latest solar storm to surpass the one that slammed Earth in May, the strongest in more than two decades.
The storm also may trigger northern lights as far south in the U.S. as the lower Midwest and Northern California, though exact locations and times are uncertain, according to NOAA. Skygazers are reminded to point their smartphones upward for photos, as the devices often can capture auroras that human eyes cannot.
— With files from The Associated Press