The night sky put on quite the show in Rocky View County on Oct. 11, thanks to a vivid Aurora Borealis.
County residents from Beiseker to Bragg Creek and from Crossfield to Langdon were treated to vibrant stripes of green, wavy lights on Monday night, thanks to one of Earth's most peculiar natural phenomena.
Crossfield photographer Alec Postill said the Oct. 11 Northern Lights were a rare spectacle. He took in the astrological show from a few different spots around town, including the summit of the hill at Veterans Peace Park, where he snapped some stunning photos between 8:30 and 11 p.m.
“When I was up on top of the toboggan hill, it was incredible,” he said. “I was looking southeast and could still see them. That’s a pretty rare event, especially at these latitudes.”
Occasionally visible from high-latitude countries, the Aurora Borealis is a scientific phenomenon that occurs when sun storms send gusts of charged solar particles that interact with Earth’s magnetosphere, according to a post on earthsky.org. The charged electrical particles combine with atoms in Earth’s atmosphere, causing the atoms to light up and appear as green “curtains of lights” in the night sky.
The intensity of an Aurora Borealis is measured by the KP scale, according to a post from aurora-nights.co.uk. The scale determines the magnitude of geomagnetic disturbance, and ranges from KP0 to KP10. The storm in Alberta on Oct. 11 was rated as a KP6.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measures the strength of geomagnetic storms, which is another way to determine the vibrancy of a Northern Lights display. The administration’s scale for geomagnetic storms ranges from a “G1” to a G5, with the Oct. 11 lights being described as a G2.
Postill, who has been practising landscape and night photography for six years, said the Aurora Borealis is always a breathtaking sight to behold. However, he said a G2 storm is particularly exhilarating to witness.
“G1 is a really good storm, but a G2 and higher, you’ll see it right overhead, which is what we got [on Oct. 11],” he said. “Normally, you just see them on the northern horizon. Some people won’t see it with the naked eye, but can pick it up with a camera. Monday night’s was absolutely exceptional, and we were lucky to see it.”
Another local resident who took in the colourful display on Oct. 11 was Langdon's Devin-Leigh Hunter, who snapped a few cell phone photos of the lights from her backyard around 10:30 p.m.
A newcomer to RVC, Hunter said she has been treated to a variety of new sights since moving to Alberta from southern Ontario this past summer, including mountains and bears.
She added her family had never seen the Northern Lights prior to Oct. 11, and was keen on witnessing the lights display – but never expected to be able to see them from their own backyard.
“There was a point where the sky was red and purple as well, and as you watched you could actually see the lights dancing across the sky,” she said. “It looked similar to how a flame flickers, it was so beautiful.”
While the Northern Lights on Oct. 11 were bright enough to be visible from urban communities, Postill said it’s usually necessary to drive out of town to an area without light pollution to witness them.
Now an experienced Aurora-chaser, he said there is often a misconception that some areas are better situated to see the spectacle than others.
“Crossfield happens to be a great spot once in a while, but you can go to Drumheller, the Foothills, or anywhere you’re not going to have a bunch of light,” he said. “If you don’t see them right away, just hang tough. As soon as you start driving around a whole bunch, you’re going to miss them.”
If you’re going to “chase” a future Aurora Borealis, Postill recommends following AuroraWatch or some of the other community Facebook pages in Alberta that are dedicated to tracking the Northern Lights.
“There’s plenty of info and if there’s any inkling there’s going to be a storm, go find a dark spot, hang tight, bring some coffee or hot chocolate, hang out and watch the sky,” he said. “Even if they don’t show up, it’s nice to watch a dark, starry night.”
But if you are lucky enough to see the lights, Postill warns you may be hooked.
“It’s one of those things that bring out your inner child,” he said. “I find that even though I understand why it happens more now, it’s a different phenomenon for me.
“It’s never enough – I have to see them again and again, and even better the next time.”
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
