Canadians will have a good chance of seeing the northern lights over the next two days, even if they are not accustomed to seeing such sights at lower latitudes.

That's because the sun has entered a solar maximum, a stormy period in the sun's activity cycle that recently resulted in a coronal mass ejection -- a release of a large amount of charged particles that are hurtling towards the Earth at high speeds.

York University astronomer Paul Delaney said the result is that the incoming charged particles "are going to interact with the Earth's magnetic field, or magnetosphere."

"We've got a 50-50 chance that as those particles rain down into our atmosphere, they will trigger extensive aurora borealis -- the northern lights -- all across the northern hemisphere from about Toronto's latitude and further north," Delaney told CTV News Channel during an interview in Toronto on Tuesday morning.

Those odds will leave amateur astronomers looking up for the next two nights, as they watch for what Delaney describes as "shimmering curtains of light."

"Very faint, probably greenish-white, maybe with a bit of luck, some tinges of orange and red. But basically, large sheets of lights, towards the northern horizon, but well-elevated…all across the sky," said Delaney.

Northern lights are not usually seen so far south, but the specific characteristics of the coronal mass ejection should make it possible for most Canadians to view the phenomenon, Delaney said.

"When we have such a significant amount of particulate radiation sweeping towards the Earth, it sort of overwhelms the magnetic field of the Earth and more charged particles seep through and impact the atmosphere at further, southernly latitudes," said Delaney.

Delaney said that people on the ground have no reason to worry about the radiation associated with the incoming particles, as "there is next to no danger associated with this event."

"It's just a wonderful light show and I would certainly encourage anybody to go outside tonight after sunset is finished."

Until recently, the sun had been in a period of relative inactivity, as part of a cycle that NASA says lasts about 11 years.

According to NASA, the last solar maximum occurred in 2001. Another is expected in about three years' time.

With files from The Associated Press