The skies were awash in flickering pinks and vivid greens of the aurora borealis in Kingston, Ont., on Friday. Not normally seen this far south, the auroras were visible due to powerful geomagnetic storms.Photo by Julia McKay/The Whig-Standard/Postmedia News

Canadians who missed out on Thursday's northern lights display are in luck Friday night

Geomagnetic storm that spread the aurora borealis has weakened, but still promises another colourful night for many

by · National Post

If you woke up scrolling through a seemingly neverending stream of photos of the northern lights and cursed yourself for tucking into bed promptly after Jeopardy!, take heart; you may not have missed the solar event.

The spectacular aurora borealis, precipitated by the latest geomagnetic storm, continues Friday night for much of the planet’s northern hemisphere. And if Thursday’s far-reaching display is the bar, stargazers under clear skies will be gifted another other-worldly performance.

What you need to know about solar storms, the extreme weather of spaceThis week it was reported that a solar storm had struck the Earth a day ahead of schedule, for unknown reasons. Some speculated that the coronal mass ejection (CME) that was the cause of the storm was moving faster than expected. Others suggested it was an entirely different CME that had escaped our notice. Here’s what to know about solar storms.Chris Knight, 27 Jul 2023Major solar storm hits Canada, bringing risks and prospect of spectacular auroraCanada’s space weather agency warned Friday of a “major geomagnetic storm” that was hitting the country and could have severe impacts on power systems, satellites and other infrastructure.Nono Shen, 10 May 2024