According to the latest forecasts of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) of the United States, visible boreal aurorae are possible in almost all of Canada, with the exception of the most eastern coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, in the south, and certain islands of the territories near Greenland, too north.
This text is a translation of an article by CTV News
Noaa forecasts show that most of the meadows and the interior of British Columbia, as well as northern Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, are the regions most likely to see the northern lights on Friday evening.
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The unusual appearance of the northern lights is linked to what scientists call a “coronal mass ejection” (CME), when large quantities of plasma and magnetism are expelled from the sun. These events can involve billions of tonnes of mass moving between 250 and 3,000 kilometers per second, according to the agency.
Although it appeared for the first time on August 5, the effects of the CME take several days to cross the space and should arrive later this week.
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On Earth, CMEs can trigger a geomagnetic storm, which can sometimes disrupt technologies such as electrical networks, pipelines and GPS. The NOAA qualified the event of this week “overall manageable”, with the side effect of the northern lights more visible than usual.
“The alerts of this level are not uncommon,” says an opinion published on Wednesday.
According to the noaa geomagnetic activity index, the aurora boreales scheduled for Friday evening should reach a six -point peak on a new scale, between “moderate” and “active”.
Any planned activity should also be “moderate” to the maximum, which, according to the NOAA, could trigger alarms on certain electrical networks and damage the transformers if it was extended.
Friday’s geomagnetic storm should weaken to become “minor” on Saturday, with northern nursing peaks falling to five and the visible area withdrew towards more northern latitudes.