A show of the Northern Lights over Nanaimo in late February could be bested by some better conditions and clear skies over the weekend. (submitted photo/Dr. Greg Arkos)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

northern lights

Conditions favourable for Aurora Borealis show over Nanaimo

Mar 24, 2023 | 3:04 PM

NANAIMO — The stars are aligning for a potentially spectacular light show Friday.

A combination of intense solar winds hitting Earth and relatively clear skies overnight mean there is a considerable chance of seeing Aurora Borealis over the central Vancouver Island region again Friday, March 24.

Keen photographers have already spotted the somewhat rare phenomenon in the region as recently as Thursday night, however forecasts suggest those conditions will improve into the weekend.

“Active aurora possible with slight chance of isolated minor auroral substorms and favourable conditions for major aurora activity,” website AuroraForecast.com states, marking Friday as a 10 out of 10 on their scale for aurora intensity.

Best viewing will be in a dark area with little to no surrounding light pollution. The lights will be mainly in the northern sky.

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Those keen on seeing the show can visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s website which provides a 30-60 minute forecast for Aurora activity.

Experts suggest patience, and not giving up too early. Staying out for a while and allowing your eyes to acclimatize to the darkness can often lead to better results.

According to SpaceWeather.com, a severe geomagnetic storm is behind the renewed push.

“On March 23-24, auroras spread into the United States as far south as New Mexico during a severe (category G4) geomagnetic storm–the most intense in nearly 6 years. The cause of the storm is still unclear.”

A report from the website goes on to say the magnetic fields around Earth “suddenly shifted.”

The result was an increased vulnerability to the solar winds, which resulted in the spectacular show.

“South-pointing magnetic fields can open a crack in Earth’s magnetosphere and, indeed, that’s what happened. Earth’s “shields were down” for almost 24 hours, allowing solar wind to penetrate and the storm to build to category G4.”

The Northern Lights, as the aurora is also known, showed up at the end of February, prompting photographers to stay up late, or get up very early for a chilly night watching the skies.

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