September 28, 2011 — Many Canadians were able to see the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, this week. Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the International Space Station caught rare footage of the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights.
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| The Northern Lights over Fort McMurray, AB on Sept. 26 |
If the skies were clear and your location was right, you may have been treated to quite the scene this week.
The Aurora Borealis was visible in many populated parts of Canada on Monday night, including Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. That had many people rushing to grab their cameras and heading to the window.
The impressive light show came courtesy of a coronal mass ejection (CME) -- a massive burst of solar wind that struck the Earth's magnetic field, generating a strong geomagnetic storm.
The source of the CME was a sun spot on the surface of the sun that measured 150,000 km across.
The best places for seeing the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, were in communities away from city lights and with a good view of the northern sky.
Anyone north of Churchill, Manitoba could continue to have a good view of the Northern Lights this week.
The Space Weather Prediction Centre of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration offers tips for spotting aurora borealis.
The weather plays a big role in the visibility of auroras; find out what's in store for your area after dark.
Meanwhile, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were able to capture some rare footage of the Aurora Australis, or the Southern Lights, on Monday. Click the video above for a look at what they saw.
If you have photos of the Aurora Borealis that you'd like to share, feel free to upload them to our Your Weather Gallery.
With files from Alexandra Pope
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