Did you see it? Vivid aurora borealis lights up the sky across much of Canada
Global News
People across much of Canada were treated to a dazzling display of purple, pink, teal and green northern lights overnight Thursday, both on the ground and from the air.
People across much of Canada were treated to a dazzling display of purple, pink, teal and green hues overnight Thursday into Friday, as the northern lights danced and shimmered as far as the eye could see.
While most people only ever see the lights from the ground, pilot Matt Melnyk took in the sight from 36,000 feet.
He first spotted the aurora borealis while flying up from Las Vegas to Calgary around 9 p.m. Thursday.
“The aurora was so strong we started seeing it as far south as Idaho Falls! Incredible!” he told Global News.
“Progressively got better and better and better the closer I got to Calgary. It was dancing straight overhead out all the windows of the airplane, it was pretty amazing.”
He then saw more lights a few hours later, when he was flying from Calgary to Abbotsford, B.C., around midnight.
The 20-year pilot and photographer said it’s been years since he took in a sight as vivid as this. He said it never gets old and he feels lucky to see it from cruising altitude.
From B.C. to southern Ontario, people reported seeing the aurora borealis, after a “severe” geomagnetic storm made the northern lights visible quite far south.
