Meet the aurora borealis chasers in Alberta: ‘It’s like nothing else in the world’

Ratzlaff said early in 2021, the Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group had 30,000 members. That number has since tripled to more than 100,000.

Two weeks ago residents in Southern Alberta witnessed amazing northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis.

While it’s commonly said that you need to travel to northern Alberta or the Northwest Territories to see them, it’s not unheard of to see in the southern part of the province.

Christy Turner, an aurora chaser in Calgary, first saw the stunning lights a few years ago while driving on a highway east of the city and since then she’s been hooked on chasing them.

“The funny thing is a couple people have said to me when you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it enough. The crazy thing is that couldn’t be more wrong.

The phenomenon occurs when electrically charged particles from the sun hit the Earth’s upper atmosphere, then interact with oxygen and nitrogen.

The chances of seeing it increase in the fall and last through winter and spring on dark, clear, cool nights.

The Calgary Aurora Chasers and Alberta Aurora Chasers are two local groups that monitor the potential for an aurora.

They analyze data, track solar events, monitor solar wind speeds and then share their findings on social media, but Turner said there is never a guarantee you will see one.