Quebecers share dazzling photos of the northern lights
Yoann Tardivel has been chasing northern lights for three years, and was thrilled to finally see them with his own eyes last Sunday in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec.
SEE ALSO: Everyone needs a home emergency kit. Here's what to stock yours with
"We were four photographers on the edge of the St. Lawrence River, and two hours after we set up a green light appeared and started dancing in the sky," he said.
"You could easily see them with a naked eye even with all the light pollution."
Yoann Tardivel captured this image at Rivière-Ouelle in the Kamouraska region of Quebec on Sept. 4, 2022. (Yoann Tardivel/Facebook)
Quebecers from all over have been dazzled by the colourful waves taking over the night sky over the last week.
Some people have been trekking from other countries to see the aurora borealis, like Harmony Lereste and her partner, who came from France.
"I've had the chance to see northern lights during various trips, but it was his first time," said Lereste. "The lights were dancing in the sky like I've never seen before, it was as memorable of a night for me as it was for him!"
(Sébastien Petit's photo was taken in Nominingue, Que. (Sébastien Petit/Facebook)
Paul Charbonneau, a physics professor at Université de Montréal, says the northern lights were probably especially bright last weekend because of a solar eruption.
"Those are largely random," he said.
But like a lightbulb plugged to an electric current, explosions on the sun project energy in the Earth's direction which excites the atmosphere, releasing light.
Hugues Bergeron took this picture of the northern lights, which experts say were particularly vivid last week in Quebec. (Hugues Bergeron/Facebook)
"In the case of northern lights, the power source is the sun," said Charbonneau.
"Then we get this crazy display."
WATCH: Auroras hang over wildfire flames in the night sky over Alberta
The story was originally published for CBC News on Sept. 11, 2022.
