Surrounded by nature, enjoy a 360o view of the aurora-filled sky.

The beauty of the Canadian wilderness is unmatched, but on a cloudless fall or winter night, don’t forget to look up—you might catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis dancing overhead. This 99.99% pure silver coin presents a breathtaking view of the northern lights, a luminous phenomenon that never fails to inspire awe. On the coin’s reverse, the 360-degree perspective pulls you into the night scene, where the surrounding forest—home to a secretive nocturnal hunter—frames your view of nature’s most dazzling celestial light display, which grows even brighter when viewed under a blacklight (included).

A 360-degree view of the northern lights—a hallmark of Canada’s great outdoors!

Good to know

Experience the northern lights. Canada is one of the best places to view the aurora borealis (also known as the northern lights), which dances and colourfully lights up the night sky on this 99.99% pure silver coin enhanced with colour and blacklight technology.

Vivid colours and blacklight technology. Thanks to a selective application of vibrant colour, the famous green, pink and purple hues of the aurora borealis fill the sky on your coin’s reverse, The colours are even brighter (and the night view, more realistic) when viewed directly under a blacklight (a blacklight flashlight is included with your coin).

Spherical art. Your coin’s reverse features a panoramic view of the sky and the surrounding forest. This produces a more immersive 360-degree perspective—it will make you feel like you’re out in the Canadian wilderness, surrounded by tall trees and gazing up at the sky.

Engraved panorama. More than just a frame for the colourful sky, the engraved wilderness is a captivating representation of the Canadian landscape. At first glance, you might feel like you’re alone in this outdoor setting, but look closely—a nocturnal creature is on the hunt!

Classic Canada. The best opportunities for viewing the aurora borealis in Canada are on dark cloudless nights between September and April, and you need to be as far away from city lights as possible. But this coin brings the aurora borealis to you, so you can enjoy a sky-watching experience at any time and without leaving home.

Pure silver. Your coin is impeccably crafted in 99.99% pure silver.

Includes serialized certificate. The Royal Canadian Mint certifies all of its collector coins.

No GST/HST

Did you know?

The aurora borealis appears in many different shapes and colours—it depends on the composition of gasses in the atmosphere, the altitude where the aurora occurs, and the level of solar activity.

Green is the predominant aurora colour (it’s also more readily detected by our eye), and it appears when charged particles collide with oxygen molecules about 100 to 300 kilometres above Earth’s surface. A pink or red lower fringe is produced by nitrogen molecules at an altitude of 100 kilometres, while collisions with oxygen atoms at higher altitudes (250+ km) produce a rare red aurora that is associated with high solar activity.

Behind closed doors

"I first saw the northern lights through a plane window while flying over Northern Canada—I spent most of that flight watching the bright green, white and purple curtains of light dancing in the night sky until they slowly disappeared in the golden light of dawn. As we flew over mountains and forests, I tried to picture how the northern lights would be perceived from down there, and how nocturnal animals were living their lives under the colourful sky. I drew on that magical experience to design this coin. Since I wanted the scene to be representative of a large number of areas in Canada, I chose to represent a Great Grey Owl, sometimes called “Phantom of the North,” which lives in the boreal forests of central, western and northern Canada."

- Alexandra Lefort, Artist

"One of the most majestic spectacles in the night sky is a full-sky auroral display. The shimmering waves of blue, purple, red, and green happen when charged particles emitted by the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetosphere. When atoms such as oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s upper atmosphere interact with these charged particles near Earth's magnetic poles, the atoms emit the colourful light. The colours depend not only on the atoms, but on the altitude of the atoms, as well. The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are best seen in northern latitudes, making Canada a perfect place to see them."

- J. Randy Attwood, FRASC, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, Executive Director from 2014 to 2019

About the design

Your coin is encapsulated and presented in a Royal Canadian Mint-branded clamshell with a black beauty box.

The reverse design by Canadian artist Alexandra Lefort features a view of the aurora borealis (also known as the northern lights) in the night sky above the Canadian wilderness. While a selective application of colour re-creates the ethereal green, pink and purple hues that form one of nature’s most breathtaking phenomena, the embedded blacklight technology amplifies those colours when activated by the flashlight (included). For a more immersive 360-degree perspective, a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains and boreal forest—the home of the Great Grey Owl (Strix nebulosa)—is engraved around the edge, resulting in a more realistic night scene when viewed under the blacklight flashlight, with the towering treetops appearing as imposing shapes that rise up toward the colourful sky. The obverse features the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III by Canadian artist Steven Rosati.

Product # 246129

$30 Fine Silver Coin - Magic of the Northern Lights (2025)