A moderate geomagnetic storm will affect Earth for the next two days.
A Kp index of 6 is on the radar for the night from Saturday to Sunday. Such a situation could allow sectors further south to see the colored veils in the sky – provided they are far from light pollution. The surroundings of Montreal, for example, could be lucky enough to be entitled to a striking spectacle.
Good to know : The Kp index is an indicator of geomagnetic activity, ranging from 0 to 9. It is often used to determine the probability of observing auroras in several given regions.
The potential loses a bit of feathers for the night from Sunday to Monday, but remains present: a Kp index of 5 is expected. Some regions, such as Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean and Gaspésie, are particularly well placed to enjoy a colorful night.
October is also one of the best months for observing the Northern Lights.
The aurora borealis is born from the interaction between particles from the solar winds and the upper atmosphere of the Earth. The different colors composing the auroras are explained by the composition of the solar winds. Thus oxygen will give green and red tints, while nitrogen, for example, will color the sky blue, red and violet.
Some tools to observe the aurora borealis:
- Space Weather Canada, in order to check whether the geomagnetic activity will be sufficient to create auroras
- Planetary K-indexof the NOAA, in order to check if the auroras will be visible from Quebec or Montreal, for example (if the index k exceeds 5, it will be the case)