Northern lights will dance over most of Canada tonight, but clouds may crash the party

Much of Canada could see the northern lights dancing overhead tonight.

According to Astronomy North, a non-profit society that collaborates with the Canadian Space Agency, the aurora borealis will be particularly bright in the sky above northern Ontario, northern Quebec and northern British Columbia, as well as over most of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It will also occur in the southern parts of all three territories.

The best time to look up and catch the show is around midnight local time, according to the Canadian Space Agency.

Of course, whether or not skygazers will be able to see the lights will be dependent on the weather overnight.

Winnipeg and Regina will have clear skies around midnight local time, though temperatures overnight will dip below -30 C.

In Yellowknife, skies will be mainly clear around midnight, but Edmonton and Whitehorse will likely miss the show with clouds in the forecast.

In Ontario, Thunder Bay will have mainly clear skies overnight, but cities further south will have too much cloud coverage to catch the lights as winter weather moves into the province.

If the forecast looks clear in your area tonight, the Canadian Space Agency suggests bundling up and heading to an area with very little light pollution. The agency also recommends looking all around the sky and not just to the north – they may be called the “northern lights,” but they can happen anywhere in the sky.

If you’re hoping to snap a few photos, the Canadian Space Agency also offers tips on how to best photograph the phenomenon on its website.