Excited skywatchers have been urged to keep an eye on the night’s sky as a red alert has been issued for the Northern Lights – and we could be seeing a display very soon
Brits have been issued with a ‘red alert’ for Northern Lights with sensational sky display possible within hours.
Stargazers are set to be in for a treat tonight with parts of the country set to be lit up and people in the far north of the country have been told to keep an eye out for the beautiful phenomenon later on.
A red alert has just been put out by AuroraWatch UK, meaning a sighting is highly likely -providing the sky remains clear and not too cloudy. The best chance of seeing them in the UK is in Scotland, and in some parts of northern England.
Usually seen over the likes of Iceland, Canada, Norway and Finland. an aurora borealis can be seen further south to Europe and last night the Earth was hit by a powerful coronal mass ejection. Earlier this month, the Met Office explained how there has been heightened solar activity increasing the chances for people to see Northern Lights.
A red alert issued by AuroraWatch UK means that it is likely to be visible from anywhere in the UK. The service is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics. Possible timings have not been given.
Statistically, the best time to see an aurora is between 10pm and midnight, though sometimes the aurora can be seen throughout the night, according to AuroraWatch UK. But loud cover and light pollution can affect whether you will actually be able to see the sky spectacular.
It won’t be the only chance, it appears. The national agency previously said that the best day this week to see the Northern Lights in the UK will be on Thursday evening for people in Scotland.
It states: “The next potential auroral enhancement is expected on Thursday evening, which could allow for some visibility across similar geomagnetic latitudes as Scotland, depending on the extent of cloud cover.”
While on the strength of the solar activity over the next four days it says: “Moderate activity is expected to continue with occasional Moderate class flares. There is a chance of an isolated Strong (X-class) flare.”
Next year will bring with it a once-in-a-decade phenomenon; the solar maximum. This rare event sees the Sun have heightened magnetic activity and scientists are expecting it to peak until March 2026, before fading again until the mid 2030s.