One of mother nature’s most dazzling astral displays might be visible from the Lower Mainland tonight.
According to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, auroral activity will be active on Wednesday. Further, active auroral displays are expected to be visible, “overhead from Inuvik, Yellowknife, Rankin and Iqaluit to Juneau, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Sept-Iles, and visible low on the horizon from Vancouver, Great Falls, Pierre, Madison, Lansing, Ottawa, Portland and St. Johns.”
The forecast calls for active displays over the horizon from Vancouver on Friday, as well.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the three-day aurora forecast model shows that some of the aurora’s intensity will be seen over the Lower Mainland. The model shows the intensity and location of the aurora as expected for the time shown at the top of the map, and it appears that the northern lights will be viewable overnight on Wednesday as well as Thursday.
In order for us to see the aurora, the sky must be dark and clear; clouds are the biggest obstacles to auroral observations. However, Vancouver’s forecast calls for clear skies tonight and for the next couple of days. As such, sky gazers have the ideal conditions for a spellbinding celestial show.
Sky gazers should opt to travel as far away from city lights as possible in order to avoid light pollution that will obscure the view. While this works best in more remote places, anywhere that has a higher elevation will also provide more ideal viewing conditions.
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