Northern Lights Forecast Over Canada Thursday Night
The Aurora Borealis may be visible dancing across the sky! A highly active region of the Sun, emitting powerful flares and solar storms, is triggering intense space weather in the coming nights.
Recent Solar Activity
In recent weeks, solar astronomers and space weather enthusiasts have observed an impressive series of eruptions from the Sun. These solar storms, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), have either originated on the far side of the Sun or moved away from Earth.
Active Region 4274
All of these events have been linked to a single sunspot group called Active Region 4274. This region has recently rotated into view along the Sun's eastern limb over the last few days.
"On the morning of November 4, a powerful solar flare exploded from AR 4274. Measured as an X1.8-class flare, it is the strongest we've seen from the Sun since the X1.9 flare on June 19. It also ranks as the fifth strongest flare of 2025, so far."
Visual Evidence
The SUVI instrument on NOAA's GOES-19 weather satellite captured the Sun's center, revealing several bright active regions as of November. Near the center of the view, a subtle darker area indicates a large coronal hole.
Additionally, four inset images from the NASA/ESA SOHO spacecraft's LASCO C3 coronagraph display four significant coronal mass ejections linked to AR 4274.
Sources
- NOAA
- NASA/ESA
- Scott Sutherland
Intense solar activity from AR 4274 is expected to enhance the Northern Lights display over Canada this Thursday night.
Author's summary: A newly visible sunspot group, Active Region 4274, has generated powerful solar flares and storms, creating optimal conditions for bright auroras over Canada tonight.