Northern Lights seen over Ottawa, eastern Ontario
Ottawa and eastern Ontario residents who looked to the sky Thursday night were treated with a rare sight.
Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, made a rare appearance, with residents across Ontario treated to the stunning effect.
The Northern Lights normally aren't visible this far south.
According to The Weather Network, the display is due to a gigantic gap in the solar atmosphere, which emits a much stronger than usual solar wind. As that solar wind sweeps past earth, its charged particles cause a disturbance in the planet's geomagnetic field.
With clear skies Friday night, another viewing might be possible.
- Did you see the Northern Lights on Thursday and snap a photo? If so, we'd love to see it. Please email it to ottawanews@ctv.ca.
The Aurora Borealis as seen from Huntclub in Ottawa on March 23, 2023. (Cecilia Loizzo/CTV Viewer)
The Northern Lights from Carleton Place, Ont. on March 23, 2023. (Austinator Reid/CTV Viewer)
The Northern Lights seen over Stittsville on Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023. (Andrew Symes/CTV Viewer)
Last night's Aurora Borealis, observed in Ottawa. This photo was taken around mid-night during a brief moment of clear sky. (Nelson Liu/CTV Viewer)
The Northern Lights seen over Stittsville on Thursday, Mar. 23, 2023. (Courtesy Andrew Symes)
Aurora Borealis from South Mountain, ON. I have not seen or photographed a display like this in many years. (Gary Boyle/The Backyard Astronomer/CTV Viewer)
Northern lights seen Thursday night just before midnight over the town of Almonte, Ont. (Kelly Peltier/CTV Viewer)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.