Aurora glimpsed in the Maritimes late Monday night; possible again Tuesday night
Aurora spotted in the Maritimes
It was faint and near the horizon but the Aurora Borealis was visible in a few parts of the Maritimes late Monday night.
These pictures below were shared with me by Philomene Breau O’Connor who took them between midnight and about 1:30 a.m. The pictures taken at Cameron Beach, Port Howe, Nova Scotia.
Aurora activity is forecast to be high Tuesday night and Wednesday night of this week.
A picture of the aurora near the northern horizon from Port Howe, N.S., late Monday night.
A picture of the aurora near the northern horizon from Port Howe, N.S., late Monday night.
Viewing conditions
Partly cloudy Tuesday night with fog patches developing after midnight.
The North Shore of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, P.E.I., and eastern coastal areas of New Brunswick are all good candidates for glimpsing the aurora should it make a further appearance tonight.
Similar viewing conditions are expected Wednesday evening. Cloud increases and showers develop overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning.
Best to get away from city lights and find as much of an unobstructed view of the northern horizon as possible. It is likely you will need to be patient and that the aurora will appear only faintly close to the horizon. If you get some pictures of the aurora this week, I’d love to see and share them. They can be sent in to kalin.mitchell@bellmedia.ca.
Partly cloudy and with fog patches developing tonight. Areas that might have a better shot of glimpsing the aurora, if present, include northern/eastern New Brunswick, northern Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
Cause of the active aurora this week
The Space Weather Prediction Center branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration attributes a recent series of ejections of solar matter from the sun (coronal mass ejections) as the cause of the increase in aurora.
As that solar matter collides with Earth’s magnetic field, it creates a geomagnetic storm.
Geomagnetic storms are rated on a scale of G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). A G2/G3 storm is usually enough to get a faint visible aurora low on the northern horizon here in the Maritimes. The storm that produced the bright, overhead aurora in the Maritimes this past May was rated as G5 (extreme) in strength.
Geomagnetic storm watch
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tensions flare between Poilievre and Singh in the House after NDP says it will back Trudeau Liberals
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh got into a heated exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday, just minutes after Singh announced his party would not be supporting the Conservatives' first non-confidence motion against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.
'It's disgusting': Quebec minister reacts after body of boy, 14, found near Hells Angels hideout
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
Missing six-year-old boy disappeared after school breakfast program: Manitoba RCMP
Shamattawa RCMP are searching for a missing six-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen since Wednesday morning.
Woman dead, toddler uninjured following B.C. police shooting, watchdog says
B.C.'s police watchdog is investigating the death of a woman who was shot by the RCMP after allegedly barricading herself in a room with a toddler early Thursday morning.
PM Trudeau names Anita Anand transport minister after Pablo Rodriguez quits cabinet
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped Treasury Board President Anita Anand to take on additional duties as Canada's minister of transport on Thursday.
Canadian women among those who allege Harrods boss sexually abused them
CTV News has learned there are multiple Canadian women alleging they were victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the late Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Shohei Ohtani becomes the first major league player with 50 homers, 50 stolen bases in a season
Shohei Ohtani became the first major league player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star going deep twice to reach the half-century mark and swiping two bags to get to 51 against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.
Francois Legault wants the Trudeau government to fall
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is calling on the Bloc Quebecois to topple the Trudeau government next Wednesday and trigger a federal election.