Seizing the chance to see the Northern Lights near Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax, Nova Scotia is further south than it sometimes feels. If you look at it against Europe it’s roughly parallel with Bordeaux and Turin. So, one thing you done get very often is a chance to see the Northern Lights. Fun fact, Halifax, NS is located on the 45th parallel, meaning that it’s roughly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.

Halifax sits near the 45th parallel, meaning it’s roughly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole.

Occasionally on dark winter nights when the solar conditions are just right there are faint light shows from the Aurora Borealis that can be seen from dark rural areas of Nova Scotia. Sometimes amateur and professional photographers will share the colourful images they’ve managed to capture with very long exposures. But, for those living in or near the city it’s almost impossible to expect to be in with a chance of seeing one of those rare appearances.

Thats been the case fairly consistently, with the exception of one night in April 2023, when the Aurora was determined to make an appearance.

I had been laid up with a cold for the whole day and was out for the count when Sarah started to see posts on Facebook predicting a strong solar storm that could possibly bring the Northern Lights near us. We knew it may mean a late night and my cold was not making me feel too up for the adventure… That being said – who would miss a chance like this?

We agreed to monitor the solar activity and keep an eye on the chances of a light show using the Aurora tracker from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and head out if it looked likely.

Martinique beach has wide ocean views on one side and an open marsh on the other, it was the perfect spot.

At around 11pm the forecast started to look really strong, and Sarah had seen some pictures appearing on Facebook. My cold was not going to get the better of me, so we bundled into the car and headed out. We chose a spot that was not too far from Halifax – but somewhere we knew we could get unobstructed views to the north – Martinique. Martinique beach is a beautiful sandy beach with wide ocean views one side and an open marsh on the other with a narrow access road all the way to the end. It was the perfect spot.

We’d been driving for around 30 minutes when off in the distance we started to see the faintest green hue. The further out from the city lights we went, the stronger the green became. We knew we’d made the right call.

It felt like forever to get to the beach once we’d glimpsed the green lights starting to dance overhead. Every time we had to round a corner we were both anxiously trying to keep one eye on the lights to make sure they hadn’t gone.

We pulled up to the beach and we’re relieved to see the gate open, after a bumpy ride on the pothole ridden road we found a great spot and watched the green lights dance.

We thought that the faint green light would be our show for the evening, and would have been happy with that. Nothing could have prepared us for what we saw ten minutes after arriving. It was as if the sky had decided that we were sitting comfortably, so now the show would begin – and proceeded to pour bright buckets of purple and pinks over the increasingly vibrant green.

We watched in awe as great columns of light shot out of the haze, lines and waves streamed across the night sky, and wave after wave of colour washed over us. It was a feeling I can’t explain. We sat transfixed for almost two hours, just watching the sky, so grateful for the chance to experience it.

We sat transfixed for almost two hours, just watching the sky

After about two hours the lights began to dim, and we decided to call it a night. We took a few minutes to enjoy the night stars that were out in force behind us. And then we drove home.

On the drive home we could barely contain the elation, we were buzzing. We’ve not seen any signs of another Aurora anywhere near us, but we’ll always be watching out for another chance to experience one.