The Northern Lights should be visible to Centretown residents on Wednesday and Thursday night.
According to Gary Boyle of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, the best time to see this phenomenon tends to be from 11 p.m. to midnight, when the sun is on the opposite side of the earth.
It can sometimes be seen as early as 9 p.m., but he says there is no way of knowing how long the display will last.
“It can last for ten minutes, or it could last all night,” said Boyle. “It can be a homogenous glow along the northern horizon, or they could be dancing up in the sky and overhead. Every storm is different.”
Boyle said he recommends those hoping to catch a glimpse of the lights keep looking toward the northern horizon, while panning left to right.
The Northern Lights are often better viewed from outside of the city. However, if the lights are bright enough they can be seen from within the city- as long as spectators keep clear of buildings.
The natural phenomenon, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is the result of a solar flare that was seen leaving the sun on Tuesday night.
“Our sun has an eleven year solar cycle in which it goes through very low points of activity,” said Boyle.
“It’s slowly coming out of its hibernation now. So until about the year 2013, when we’re going to have our solar max, the suns going to be spewing up more and more bursts of built up energy.”
These bursts are thrown in many different directions, but when they are aimed directly toward the earth the Northern Lights become visible.
Darkness and clear skies are essential to view the Northern Lights.
The Northern Lights are typically seen in countries that are higher north. However, an intense solar storm can mean that even those living in lower latitudes can view the phenomenon.
“People really don’t associate natural phenomena with everyday life,” said Boyle. “It’s events like this that bring people outdoors to actually look up at the sky and learn about it.
“Let’s hope the weather will hold.”