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WASHINGTON — Northerners thawing out from a bitter freeze may get rewarded with shimmering northern lights over the next couple of days.

U.S. space weather forecaster Joe Kunches said the sun shot out a strong solar flare late Tuesday. It should shake up Earth’s magnetic field and expand the Aurora Borealis south. He said best viewing would probably be Thursday evening, weather permitting.

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Much of Canada and the northern fringes of the U.S. should see the northern lights, predicts the University of Alaska’s Geophysical Institute.

“It looks really, really good,” said Gary Boyle, president of the Ottawa chapter of the Royal Astronomical Society told the Ottawa Citizen on the chances for a celestial display on Thursday night.



“Get out and enjoy it. It’s always a chance — it’s not etched in stone — but [they’re] predicting 90%, so it’s a pretty good chance.”

Boyle said best viewing was often after 11 p.m., but said northern lights could appear any time after 9 p.m.