Many Winnipeggers have been sharing photos of the Northern Lights on social media over the past few days. According to astrophysicist Robert Lamontagne, this phenomenon keeps occurring because solar activity creates ideal conditions for these nocturnal lights to form.
According to him, the northern lights are formed when electrically charged particles coming from the sun interact with our earth’s atmosphere 80 km above our heads.
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Northern Lights in Winnipeg on March 23, 2023. Photo by @by.habibb
Robert Lamontagne states that these particles are more numerous if the number of solar flares is important.
We are in the growing part of the activity cycle that is expected to peak in late 2024, early 2025. In the next few years, the number of solar flares will increase, explains Robert Lamontagne. He states that the Sun’s activity lasts about 11 years.
“If the particle flux is very important, it is found to excite the upper atmosphere molecules that produce this luminous phenomenon.”
— A quote from Robert Lamontagne, astrophysicist
Boreal Predictions
Aurora predictions are possible 12 to 24 hours in advance thanks to space weather, warns Robert Lamontagne.
The particles require between 12 hours and 3 days [après une éruption solaire] to get into the atmosphere,” he explains.
He adds that the particles are attracted to the Earth’s magnetic poles, which explains why the phenomenon occurs particularly near the north and south poles, although exceptions can occur.
Intense auroras are sometimes seen along the United States-Mexico border, reports Robert Lamontagne.
The expert advises watching the Northern Lights on dark nights with no full moon and no clouds.
With information from Jérémy Laniel