Entering prime time to witness northern lights dancing across the night sky

If you missed the stunning display of northern lights on Saturday night, there might be another opportunity Sunday night to witness the dancing bright lights.

The sky lit up quickly and observers were wowed by a show of brilliance. Many people captured the event on camera and images were shared all over social media.

“The northern lights, or the aurora borealis, are beautiful dancing waves of light that have captivated people for millennia. But for all its beauty, this spectacular light show is a rather violent event.

Energized particles from the sun slam into Earth's upper atmosphere at speeds of up to 45 million mph (72 million kph), but our planet's magnetic field protects us from the onslaught.” - Space.com

We are now entering the best time of year to witness the northern lights, which is September to April.

Conditions appear favourable to see the brilliant lights again Sunday evening, according to the Space Weather Prediction Center. There is a G2 Geomagnetic Storm Watch in effect which is capable of creating Kp6 aurora. This means that the aurora can be quite bright and could possibly be seen as far south as New York.

Environment Canada expects a few clouds over southeastern Manitoba, so there might be enough clear sky to enjoy a spectacular show.

Get your cameras ready and plan your observation location. Make sure there are no bright lights around, be courteous to others, and stay safe.

Many stunning photographs were taken Saturday night and shared with Steinbach Online and Mix 96.7 FM via Facebook.