Canadians from coast to coast and as far south as Toronto have a chance to see the northern lights this weekend, thanks to a series of solar photonic emissions over the past few days.

According to the Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, several coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are expected to impact Earth's magnetic field on Thursday and Friday, peaking in aurora displays on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coronal mass ejections are large expulsions of solar material from the Sun's atmosphere into space.

When coronal mass ejections collide with Earth's magnetic field, the result can sometimes be colorful auroras.

While the northern lights are usually only visible in polar northern regions, the cumulative effects this week along with a fast-moving stream of solar wind known as a high-speed stream will make this phenomenon visible to people in the south.

The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center wrote in a space weather update on August 18: "We expect this phenomenon to continue through Friday and Saturday, primarily at the minor to moderate level."