Northwest Territories Celebrates An Extraordinary Fall Aurora Season

The Northwest Territories has once again demonstrated why they have the World’s Best Aurora with a number of breathtaking shows this past fall season. The spectacular success of the fall season has tourists eager to travel North for the upcoming winter Aurora season which should prove to be just as magnificent.

A geomagnetic storm in September saw a high-speed solar wind stream spark a G2 storm that triggered an incredible display across Canada and the northern United States for hours. While several areas got to experience what Northerners in the NWT see most nights, it was especially spectacular in the Northwest Territories where the show continued for days.

“The Northwest Territories offer on average 240 nights of Aurora-viewing opportunities a year thanks to crystal-clear nights, ultra-low humidity, and a perfect location directly beneath the ‘Auroral oval’ – the ring around the Earth’s geomagnetic North Pole,” explains Frank Florian, Senior Manager, Planetarium and Space Sciences at the Telus World of Science – Edmonton.

According to Astronomy North, a non-profit organization dedicated to northern sky education and outreach, there have been consistently elevated Aurora activity levels every September and March – something that has been consistently observed and studied for over a century.

“Activity has been heating up on the Sun lately, and some of that activity has been Earth-directed which is great news for skywatchers and Aurora photographers in the Northwest Territories,” explains Astronomy North president, James Pugsley.

“Last month we observed multiple G1 and G2 geomagnetic storms, resulting in some significant long-duration Auroral events across the North.”

Further cementing the Northwest Territories as the home of the world’s best Aurora, this recent plethora of Auroral events have tour operators gearing up for a busy winter season.

“Our tourism operators are more excited than ever to host visitors from around the world underneath our incredible Northern Lights,” says Donna Lee Demarcke, Chief Executive Officer for Northwest Territories Tourism

“While the Aurora in the Northwest Territories is a huge draw for tourists and residents alike, they are just one of the many exciting experiences our territory is proud to be able to share with the world.”