The Montreal sky got a major 'glow-up' over the weekend, as the northern lights aka aurora borealis put on a rare, dazzling celestial show.
You would normally need to travel to the geographic area under the auroral oval to see these dancing ribbons of colourful light, which are actually bursts of energetic particles from the sun. For instance, you'd have to go to Sweden, Russia, Iceland or far north in Quebec, around Kuujjuaq.
But due to an unusually severe (G4) geomagnetic storm — the first of this magnitude since 2005 — the earth's magnetic field was disrupted, causing aurora borealis to be visible across much of Canada and parts of the United States. This likely occurred because of a sunspot, according to the U.S.-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
If you missed it, or if you simply want to marvel at the spectacular sight for as long as possible, we compiled extraordinary images taken in Montreal (and Quebec, up to an hour's drive away).
Between this and the recent total solar eclipse, it's been a great couple of months to witness once-in-a-lifetime astronomical events in Montreal.
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Swirls of green, blue, purple and pink light up the Montreal sky with a view of the Olympic Stadium in the distance.
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Multiple colours of northern lights visible all at once in the Pincourt area.
