Southern Canadians have enjoyed mesmerizing displays of vibrant colors in the night sky due to heightened solar activity in the past couple of years. However, this spectacle of the northern lights is expected to subside as the sun enters a calmer phase in its 11-year cycle.
The best opportunities to witness the dancing auroras will continue to be in the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, where the auroral oval, a luminous ring encircling the magnetic poles, is most prominent. According to Ethen Sun, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Toronto’s David A. Dunlap astronomy and astrophysics department, sightings of auroras in southern Canada, encompassing regions like Ontario, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, will become less frequent as solar activity diminishes.
The sun undergoes alternating phases of high solar maximum and low-activity solar minimum. Currently, we are transitioning from the peak solar maximum period, with the activity trending downwards towards the minimum expected around 2031. During the solar maximum phase, characterized by coronal mass ejections, flares, sunspot increases, and geomagnetic storms, the northern lights exhibit vivid displays.
Even near the 60th parallel, auroras can be observed almost nightly regardless of solar activity levels. The prime time to witness these phenomena is between September and April, with particularly brilliant shows around the spring and autumn equinoxes.
Despite the fading intensity of the auroras witnessed in the past years, the auroral oval will continue to offer captivating displays. As solar activity diminishes, the optimal viewing window will gradually decrease. The additional colors and movements in the auroras are typically associated with geomagnetic storms.
Tourism Yukon’s Market Updates for 2024 and 2025 indicate the territory’s strategy to leverage the solar maximum phase between 2023 and 2025, with the northern lights being a major attraction for tourists, particularly from the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia. In 2025, tourism contributed $484 million to Yukon’s economy.
Aaron Ratko, a board member of the Wilderness Tourism Association of Yukon, noted the diverse seasonal attractions that draw visitors to the region, with the auroras being a significant allure. As the solar cycle progresses, Yukon may witness an expansion in aurora tourism offerings.
In Nunavut, unlike the focus in Northwest Territories and Yukon, tourists are primarily drawn to experience the Inuit culture, heritage, landscapes, and wildlife, with the auroras being an added bonus. However, as the solar maximum phase fades, Nunavut may consider promoting itself as a premier destination for northern lights enthusiasts.
In the Northwest Territories, the northern lights are a frequent sight, with Yellowknife boasting up to 240 nights of auroras annually. Around 41% of tourists visit N.W.T. specifically to witness the northern lights, as per the 2023-2024 Tourism in the NWT report. Businesses like Aurora Village in Yellowknife rely significantly on the revenue generated by aurora tourism.
Despite the fluctuations in the solar cycle, the tourism industry in these territories remains resilient, with a constant influx of visitors eager to witness the captivating auroras that grace the Arctic skies.