A rare full-sky aurora could appear in Alberta tonight

The northern lights (aurora borealis) make an appearance over a home near Cremona, Alta., on Oct. 7, 2024. Auroras are the result of disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere caused by the solar wind. (Jeff McIntosh)

Alberta skies could possibly be streaked with northern lights Thursday night should clouds co-operate, according to a group of aurora chasers.

Chris Ratzlaff says a couple of erupted solar flares earlier this week are contributing to the probability of an aurora that covers the entire sky rather than parts of northern or southern Alberta.

“It’s a lot like forecasting the weather … where you can make a pretty educated guess,” he told CTV News Edmonton.

“For tonight, we’re looking at about a 51-per-cent probability of what would be a pretty good event.”

A full-sky aurora typically only happens once or twice a year, he added.

“This will be one of the last opportunities, probably for the next five to seven years, as we’re watching the solar cycle that the sun goes through every 11 years,” he said.

“It peaks, and we just had that peak in the last year or two. So we’re on the down slope of that activity right now, and it’s going to get more quiet.”

If rain clouds don’t cover the skies Thursday, he suggests getting out of urban lighting that could wash out the colours.

“So, with Edmonton, a lot of people head east or west into the less populated areas … I usually recommend going to a community hall or somewhere with a good parking lot.”

He also advises fellow aurora chasers to be conscious of where they’re watching from – pick a safe location and stay off back roads, for example.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Sierra Dolson