Vancouver. Thanks a lot. On a clear night you can get a great shot of the mountains with nature’s light show firing off behind them. Okay, so yes, some of these locations are pretty far north (ie. Forward by Email. When the CME hits the ACE satellite, scientists are able to know how strong the CME is and whether it is traveling towards Earth’s direction. Those in North Van can head up to Cleveland Dam to escape the glare of the city and on a good night catch a glimpse of Aurora Borealis. And please do not park along the highway as your car will be towed away. The ACE satellite is located about 1.5 million km from Earth, at what is known as the L1 point – where the Earth and sun’s gravitational fields are the same so that the satellite can stay in the same position without burning fuel. Share on Facebook. Print. ). Vancouver. Here are some recommended locations for spotting the Northern Lights when the conditions are right: Spanish Banks, Vancouver (Image: David McColm Photography/Facebook), Sign up for our newsletter to get exclusive content, contests, and perks direct to you. A coronal mass ejection is an emission of plasma from the sun. The most accurate predictions are made just 30 to 60 minutes before it actually occurs, but given that this forecast happens during the late evening hours or early morning hours only a handful of skywatchers are able to know ahead of time. Of course, it also depends on the activity of the sun; sometimes the lights will come out in full force, other times they’ll be weak, and every so often you won’t see them at all. Every time I camp under clear dark skies, I try to identify constellations and the Milky Way, but I have only had the good fortune to see the northern lights once. According to the Space Weather Prediction Center, the lights are “a major disturbance of Earth’s magnetosphere that occurs when there is a very efficient exchange of energy from the solar wind into the space environment surrounding Earth.”. The Salmon Valley Church Northern B.C. Share on LinkedIn. Food & Drink. If you live in Toronto or Ottawa your best bet may be a window of a high-rise with northern exposure, or an edge of a big field (a park or a football field). Just 20 minutes away from the heart of Whitehorse and away from most of the light pollution, the Hidden Valley Bed and Breakfast is one of the best choices for travelers chasing the Northern Lights in Yukon.. A solar storm could spark northern lights over Metro Vancouver this week Dec 10, 2020 11:26 AM By: Elana Shepert. This burst of energy (radiation) occurs across all wavelengths. One of the best ways to see this natural phenomenon is by taking part in a Northern Lights viewing tour from a town like Whitehorse or Yellowknife—local guides know the best viewing spots away from city lights. What to Do. Where: Take exit 37 off Highway 1 and follow the signs for Simon Fraser University. is the ability to see the northern lights. On the other hand, DSLR cameras coupled with high ISO settings and long exposure times can detect a greater extent of the show. To be more precise, the odds of seeing the Northern Lights in Vancouver is approximately 5% daily. Lake Minnewanka, Castle Junction, and Peyto Lake have proven to be the right spots to see aurora borealis near Banff. Helping You Plan. If you travel another 3,000 kilometres north to say, Yellowknife, you MIGHT see Northern Lights…or … Hidden Valley Bed and Breakfast . They are called Northern Lights for a reason, and the you only see them overhead in places like Yukon, Alaska or Finland. Red Lake, Ontario Credit: Harlan Schwartz . I plan to drive up to Vancouver to catch the Northern Lights. Daily Hive is a Canadian-born online news source, established in 2008, that creates compelling, hyperlocal content. Where to see the northern lights near Prince George. Dec 30, 2018 1:58 PM By: Hanna Petersen. And even if the geomagnetic light show is expected, there is the local weather factor to account for. If you want to see this incredible phenomenon for yourself, book a trip to one of these Canadian destinations. Roar off into the wilderness on a snowmobile and try your hand at ice fishing with a guide. You might be able to see the northern lights over Metro Vancouver Friday. Culture. If the conditions are right, you can get a great view of the light show alongside unobstructed vistas of the Georgia Strait. Where: North of Vancouver International Airport. Aurora over Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver, Canada. Athabasca, Alberta. Print. It's a good sign if you see a thick aurora band with some areas of light yellow, orange or, better yet, RED on this map as opposed to just a thin (or transparent) band with only dark green. It gives a simple numeric Kp prediction on a nine-point scale based on the severity of the disturbance to Earth’s magnetic field. Answer 1 of 6: Can anyone recommend a place we can go to and see the northern lights? From space, the Aurora usually appears as a oval-shaped halo of light beginning at an altitude of approximately 110 kilometres above the surface, encircling the magnetic north and south poles. Located just north of YVR, Iona Beach Regional Park is made up of a long jetty of sand and grass along the mouth of the Fraser River. This increases to up to four ejections per day during the solar maximum phase at the peak period of solar activity when the number and size of sunspots grows. Bundle up, grab a thermos of hot chocolate, pack the kids in the car and hit shuffle on your holiday hits collection. Thanks a lot. Being a city dweller, I was not expecting this beautiful and ghostly apparition. Where to See the Northern Lights in Ontario. Share on Twitter. #auroraborealis #northernlight #fall #green #stars #wow #amazing #thisisspecial #porteaucove #squamish #howsound #mybc #hellobc #explorebc #imagesofcanada #dailyhivevancouver #vancitybuzz #vancityhype #theprovince #narcity #supernaturalbritishcolumbia #beautifulbritishcolumbia, A photo posted by Alex Donald (@alexdonald21) on Sep 29, 2016 at 10:52am PDT. To see the northern lights in British Columbia, you’ll need to get away from more than the city.