Tiny sliver of Crescent Moon and Venus will also conjunct on first day of spring

TORONTO, March. 17, 2026 – While it may not currently feel like it in parts of the country, this coming Friday marks the first day of spring, known astronomically as Spring Equinox, and this will also bring an increased chance of Aurora viewing in Canada.

“This March 20 the magnetic fields of the Sun and the Earth work in conjunction with geometry to give us a good chance at Aurora, so fingers crossed for some solar activity,” says 91��ɫ Faculty of Science Associate Professor , director of the Allan I. Carswell Observatory at 91��ɫ.

The Equinox is often described as 'equal day' and 'equal night' but in fact it is just near to when the day and night are most equal for your location, she explains. At higher latitudes the inequality between the lengths of our days and nights grows. The Equinox could be described as the time when Earth is most evenly facing the Sun. 

That in itself is a bit of a trick, says Hyde, as Earth's axis is tilted about 23.5 degrees away from the plane of the solar system. So, if you imagine the Sun, the Earth and the planets all in a line, Earth would be orbiting the Sun tilted just a bit away or towards it depending on where it is in the orbit. This leads to the seasons and at the Equinox the Earth's magnetic poles are tilted nearly at a right angle to the flow of solar wind from our Sun two times a day. This 'equinoctial effect' presents a bigger target for charged particles to hit. 

“As the seasons change to Summer or Winter, the poles point either more toward or away from the Sun, reducing this effect,” says Hyde. 

This same alignment near the Equinox also means that the magnetic fields of the Earth and Sun can line up in a way that could allow them to connect. 

“This is when the 'north-south' of Earth's magnetic field is opposite the Sun's, and opposites attract in magnets,” says Hyde. “This is called the Russel-McPherron effect and together the two effects can lead to more frequent and brighter auroras when the Sun is active.”

The Sun is currently in the most intense phase of its 11-year cycle, moving from minimum to maximum activity or vice-versa. In general, near the maximum we always see more solar activity, but there is also an increase near the Equinox to look forward to. 

As an extra astronomy bonus, with the New Moon on March 19, we also have a conjunction between a very faint sliver of a Crescent Moon and the planet Venus this Friday. In Ontario this will occur near sunset in the West, low on the horizon, so observers with a clear view in that direction will get an extra treat.

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91��ɫ is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for meaningful life and career paths. 91��ɫ's Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91��ɫ’s campus in Costa Rica offers students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact: Emina Gamulin, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

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TORONTO, May 16, 2024 – Canada is particularly susceptible to disruptions caused by extreme space weather and geomagnetic storms to some of its key, heavily relied on technology, such as power systems, GPS, satellites and cell phone service, but a $1.65 million grant will help train the next generation to devise solutions.

Through the () program, 91��ɫ Associate Professor will lead the Geomagnetic Disturbance in Modern Societies and Technological Infrastructures (GMD-MSTI) program.

These geomagnetic storms are the same disturbances that produce the colourful aurora borealis phenomenon or northern lights, but they also have a destructive capacity on navigation systems, radio signal and satellites, and can cause catastrophic failures and even complete blackouts in power grids.

“Since its founding, 91��ɫ has been a leader in global, interdisciplinary research that transcends sectors and borders,” said Rhonda Lenton, president and vice-chancellor of 91��ɫ. “We are immensely grateful to NSERCE-CREATE for this generous grant which will help our researchers advance our understanding of these disturbances and mitigate issues for the benefit of local and global communities.”

Designed to develop innovative, interdisciplinary training, the program focus will be on advanced modelling and analysis techniques to assess the impact of geomagnetic disturbances, such as solar storms brought on by changes in the solar winds, on critical technological infrastructure. It will also develop ways to effectively mitigate issues through strong intra-institutional and industrial collaboration.

Canada isn’t alone in this issue, but because of its geographical positioning in the high latitude region, it is one of the countries with the highest risk of disruption through extreme space weather or GMDs, potentially affecting people’s daily lives and having economic repercussions or health impacts.

“In contemporary societies, there's an intricate reliance on technologies that are vulnerable to extreme space weather and geomagnetic disturbances,” says Rezaei-Zare, Lassonde School of Engineering. “Given the interconnected nature of these technological systems, a singular malfunction can have a domino effect compromising the functionality of other vital infrastructures.”

Canada has incorporated GMD into its national risk profile, however, there is still a noticeable gap in specialized training programs to address a lack of skilled workers in these pertinent industrial sectors largely due to the interdisciplinary complexities of the phenomenon.

The ultimate objective of the GMD-MSTI program is to graduate highly qualified personnel with top-tier industrial and applied-academic research expertise to meet national and international demand for professionals in the fields of power systems, wireless communication, space missions and satellites, biomedical engineering and science, and policy.

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91��ɫ is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change and prepare our students for success. 91��ɫ's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91��ɫ’s campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future. 

Media Contact: 

Sandra McLean, 91��ɫ Media Relations, 416-272-6317, sandramc@yorku.ca 

The post Extreme space weather and geomagnetic storms can disrupt power systems, $1.65M NSERC-CREATE grant aims to fix it appeared first on News@91��ɫ.