Legend says that to the Tlingit and many other First Nations, they are the souls of ancestors dancing in the sky in greeting to their loved ones on Earth. The Sámi people of Finnish Lapland say they were created from the spume of water ejected from whales. For the Japanese, they are a blessing of good luck and good looks to children conceived beneath them.
The Northern Lights have inspired faith, fear and art for millennia. As the days grow dark, the Aurora Borealis season begins, and this winter’s could be epic for northern and central British Columbia.
“Activity on the Sun follows a regular pattern of activity called the solar cycle. Over the last 300 years, the solar cycle has regularly alternated through periods of maximum and minimum on an 11-year cycle. We are currently heading to the next solar maximum, predicted to be in 2024,” Dr. Kyle Reiter, a physical scientist at the Canadian Hazard Information Service at Natural Resources Canada, told Efteen. “Solar maximum is the time when there are the most regions on the Sun which could produce activity that drive geomagnetic storms and aurora.”
Auroras - Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere, Aurora Australis in the southern - occur when charged particles (electrons and protons) collide with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing tiny flashes that fill the sky with colourful light. Auroras appear to move across the sky as billions of flashes occur over time.
Auroras occur almost every night in the auroral ovals above the north and south magnetic poles from about August to May, but they are not often visible further south. This year and next may be the best chance in a decade to view the dancing lights… probably.
The biggest driver of auroral activity is the sun, Reiter said.
“As we are approaching solar maximum, that is the largest driver in trends of increasing auroral displays. However, there are complex chemical processes in the upper atmosphere associated with the aurora, and these are the subject of active research,” he said.
Lorne Smith had seen the lights before but shortly after moving to Pressy Lake, south of 100 Mile, in 2017, he went outside one night with his dog and found an incredible show overhead.
“I’ve seen them before in other places around the world but they were pretty spectacular,” said Smith, 65. He was hooked. “I started looking almost every night out here and learned how to take pictures of them, with my iPhone at the time. From then on, it just progressed. I went to a better iPhone and then I went to a nice camera after that and I’ve been taking pictures ever since.”
Smith has spent well over 100 nights out in sometimes very chilly weather over the past two years. He has hundreds of eye-popping photos of the lights, most of them taken from Pressy Lake or other nearby lakes in the South Cariboo where there is very little light pollution. South Green Lake, south Horse Lake, Crystal Lake and the east end of Sheridan Lake are among his favourite locations.
He uses an app that alerts him to solar flares, which doesn’t guarantee he will see the lights but gives him a heads-up that the odds are good. There are several apps, including Aurora Alerts, available on the Google and Apple app stores.
“It’s really spectacular seeing them when they’re really strong,” he said. “We have a great horizon there where we see the lights come up and there’s no light pollution at all.”
Smith has produced a calendar of his photos and been asked to licence them for different projects.
“It’s pretty flattering, but I’m not doing it for that. I just love getting out there and seeing them. Some nights you’re out there all by yourself at two in the morning and it’s just amazing,” he said.
Space Weather Canada provides forecasts of geomagnetic activity that may lead to aurora activity. Apps like Aurora Alerts, Aurora Forecast and My Aurora Forecast & Alerts provide daily or hourly updates on potential activity and BC Aurora Enthusiasts Facebook page provides alerts and a space for sharing photos and sightings.
Rob Romeyn of Prince George started the page about three years ago after realizing there was no such group in B.C. though most other provinces had one.
“So many people had no idea that they are visible in many areas of BC or how to find them, or had no idea how to figure out where and when they were happening,” Romeyn said. “There is a science to it.”
Mostly through his own research and some help from other Aurora chasers, Romeyn has grown his page to more than 28,500 members.
“The most common question is ‘Any chance for (insert city or town),” he said. “It’s not a question I like to answer. Everyone thinks they have to ask specifically for their location, which is highly incorrect and that is not the goal of the group.”
Romeyn tries to educate followers, including that there are no guarantees of seeing the lights. There are only tenacity and patience, he said.
“In the early days you will chase and more often not see the Northern Lights. As you learn what to look for (in data terms) your hunt becomes more successful way more often,” he said. “Many people are not successful because they wait to see if someone else is seeing something. If the data is good, go! Stop asking and go outside now or you will miss it.”
The lights sometimes come in waves so be patient, Smith added.
“Be ready to get up at one in the morning or 11 at night. I’ve been out as early as 3:30 in the morning,” said Smith, who is catching the last of his Pressy Lake light shows before moving back to Chilliwack to live closer to his daughter and grandchildren.
And be ready to find the right spot, he added.
“You’ve got to look for them. Most times they’re in the north sky and you got to find a nice clear area to look for them and hope for the best.”
