Photographer creates stunning time-lapse of Manitoba northern lights show

The northern lights are highly visible at this time of year, at this time of day and in this part of the country. Daniel Hamarson explains why.

Photographer Anthony Urso fancies himself a bit of an aurora borealis chaser.

He loves the spectacle the celestial event creates for his lens and the challenge of capturing it at the perfect moment from the perfect vantage point.

“It’s not an exact science. There’s certainly knowledge, like I have to know when it’s likely a good time to go, but it’s never guaranteed,” he told CTV News in an interview.

The aurora gods smiled upon him last week when he used his drone to capture their emerald hues dancing over downtown Winnipeg.

His good fortunes continued Tuesday night.

He knew the atmospheric conditions were right for another northern lights show. This time, he headed about 30 minutes north of Winnipeg, set up his camera and shot video for an hour and a half before a few clouds rolled in, obscuring the shot.

“I’ve certainly spent nights where I’ve gone from sunset to sunrise, so not too bad last night,” he said.

The result — a stunning time-lapse video that captures a moving kaleidoscope of blues and pinks set against a dilapidated barn.

Urso posted his creation to social media. In less than 24 hours, it racked up over 150,000 views.

The reaction to the video has been incredibly meaningful for its creator.

“There’s essentially nothing more that I’m passionate about than going out and just capturing the beauty of this world,” he said.

“The fact that people are interested in seeing the stuff that I post and that they like all the stuff that I post means more to me than you can possibly know.”

‘It was a magical evening’

Urso wasn’t the only skygazer rewarded with stunning snaps.

While CTV News viewers have submitted incredible pictures of their aurora borealis sightings for many days now, our inbox was absolutely flooded Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

“Last night was so amazing to see these beautiful northern lights! I loved how they danced,” Kimmi Charlton said in an email along with her northern lights pictures snapped in Douglas, Man.

“It truly was a magical evening,” wrote Leanne Crammond, who took in the show from Neepawa, Man.

Shutterbugs from Winnipeg to The Pas to Peguis First Nation captured the bright swirling curtains of natural light in turquoise, pink, red and emerald tones.

Why are there so many northern lights right now?

The reason for this week’s plentiful aurora borealis? According to NASA, the sun is currently at the maximum phase of a solar cycle, where its magnetic poles swap places every 11 years.

That is leading to increased geomagnetic activity, which has made the northern lights appear further south than usual in both North America and Europe.

“I’ve been lucky to see green northern lights quite often, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen pink,” Kim Braun told us, sharing her photos taken in Winnipeg.

“The most gorgeous display of northern lights I’ve ever witnessed,” Tami Brisson agreed.

And the light show doesn’t seem to be winding down just yet.

A forecast from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts a high probability of aurora activity Wednesday night and early Thursday over nearly every province and territory.

With clear and dark skies away from city lights, NOAA notes aurora borealis should be visible directly overhead across most of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Labrador, and the northern parts of Ontario and Quebec.’

According to the NOAA, the light show is expected to last for much of the night and peak in intensity between 6 and 9 p.m. central time.

With files from CTV’s Daniel Halmarson and Daniel Otis

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