Looking for Aurora Borealis?

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elementoflife

I live in Edmonton Alberta and I see it regularly in the fall. It's usually a green-white glow. I know that further up north, I have seen all the different colours (red, purple..etc) and the ribbons of colours are more developed. There are some tours that you can take, particularly to Churchill Manitoba (where you may also see polar bears and beluga whales). You could just head up to the Edmonton area though, in about mid to late September and spend some time here. You'll likely see the lights, although as I mentioned, they won't be AS spectacular as further north. The best viewing is when you get out of the city. I have seen them often going from the airport (which is about 30minutes south of the city) to Edmonton. If you do come here, I suggest trying to get a flight that arrives in the evening (after about 9pm) and if it's clear, you'll have a good chance of seeing them when you are driving into the city! It's pretty remarkable!

hope that helps!
Cheers

Melissa

The northern part of the majority of our provinces have the Auroras. (Northern : BC, Alberta, Sask, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and of course the three territories).
It's best to see them on a clear night but it's usually unpredictable - it's like 'space weather'.
No need for a tour but observatories may have some additional information and may provide public evenings in which they can be observed

Bird Flippin' expecting #2

The North West Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon would be your best bet on a tour that highlight the northern lights. Churchill, Manitoba might too, plus then you can go see the polar bears and beluga whales too. The best time to see the Norther Lights is in winter, since the nights are longer, but we get them year round.

Rockin' Mel S

The suggestion about being away from the bright lights of a city is a good one. Also, I have seen it as far south as Southern Ontario but that's rare. My understanding is the further north you go the more likely you are to see it and the more impressive it is. Go in the summer as no one would advise a night standing outside in the Canadian winter. (Though skies tend to have no clouds when it is extremely cold)

anita b

The northern lights are a sight to see for sure. I have seen them many times and they always amaze me.
The milder ones showing green/yellow hues are quite tame they are awesome when the other colours are displayed too.
Once about 12:30 a.m. as I was leaving a friends on a clear.crisp,snapping cold January night the sky was filled with this brilliant,dancing,sparkling light I had never seen such awesome northern lights before or since.That was in northern British Columbia.I imagine folk in the far north see great displays most of us only see in pictures.
i sure hope you get an opportunity to see them at their best.

ZumZum

It is possible to see the aurora borealis in most parts in Canada, but they're more likely to appear in the north, closer to the magnetic north pole. It's also easier to see the northern lights in the north due to lower levels of light pollution. I have seen the northern lights in southern parts of Canada . . . but this is less common.

There are tours specifically designed for northern light spotting/photography. I know some exist in the Yukon, Northwest Territories and northern Manitoba. Just do a Google search and you'll find them.

The northern lights are most commonly associated with the winter, although I've seen the northern lights in every season (spring, summer, fall and winter). It all depends on geomagnetic storms, which occur at random. There are a few websites that predict the short-term likelihood of seeing the aurora borealis, like the Geophysical Institute in Alaska: http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast/

SteveN

I only ever saw the Aurora Borealis while on a drive from Calgary to Banff in Alberta. It was springtime and I was headed for a ski vacation weekend. We stopped and looked up in the northen sky to see waves of colours drifting across the sky.

Best way I can describe it: It's kind of like seeing a rainbow at night, but instead of it being in an arc overhead the colours flutter across like ribbons blowing in the wind.

The night has to be clear, and it's best to get away from the bright lights of the city to see it properly.

Good luck! It's amazing to see at least once. Of course, like rainbows, once you've seen it, it may not impress you as much the next time.

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