Picture of the Day: The Northern Lights Show Again

Ethereal-looking colours in the sky tonight

Tonight we were able to see the northern lights again after seeing them in May.

It turns out there is a severe geomagnetic storm happening these few days and since tonight was clear, I took the opportunity to check it out.

At first I drove to the outskirts of Pacific Spirit Park, a forest that has no lights. But while it was relatively dark, the trees were in the way!

A colleague took this in Scotland

So I drove to a park and even though there was some light pollution, I was still able to get some decent pictures, including some with the moon hovering very low.

The US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Weather Prediction Center says storm watches this far south are rare, so it's worth trying to see it.

The northern lights are not visible with the naked eye -- you need to use your smartphone or digital camera to be able to see it. People in the UK seem to have more vibrant colours than in Vancouver, or perhaps I need to go to a darker place?

Will try again in the next day or so!