The aurora borealis Northern Lights are set to be visible in parts of the UK once again, according to the Met Office, with some lucky Brits able to see the colourful light display from their windows tonight
Some lucky Brits are in for a treat as the Met Office hints that the Northern Lights could be visible from some parts of the UK, possibly allowing colourful sky-gazing without leaving home.
The aurora borealis are expected to be observable late on Thursday evening – tonight- and into the early hours of Friday morning – tomorrow. A burst known as a “coronal mass ejection” blasted off from the Sun and has arrived early Thursday, setting the stage for potential Northern Lights sightings.
According to the Met Office’s Space Weather forecast, the best places to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights on Thursday night/Friday morning (from September 12 into September 13) and Friday night/Saturday morning (September 13 into September 14) are:
- Scotland
- Northern Ireland
- Northern England
The Met Office shared: “This is ongoing on Thursday evening, with aurora potentially visible as far south as northern England and Northern Ireland, and perhaps some northern coastal areas of North Wales and Norfolk. Visibility is forecast to fade overnight. However, another arrival overnight Friday into Saturday brings a chance of further visible aurora to northern areas of the UK, primarily Scotland.”
Those keen to witness the celestial dance should keep eyes peeled, especially since AuroraWatchUK has issued a ‘red alert’, indicating high chances of seeing the aurora tonight.
The Met Office further explains that the current influx from the coronal mass ejection might weaken later into 12-13 September. Nevertheless, stargazers should stay optimistic as there’s more to come.
The next batch of solar material courtesy of a moderate flare from the sunspot may reach us by late 13-14 September.
Coronal mass ejections and solar flares are both explosive phenomena that occur on the sun, but they’re triggered by different processes. CMEs are caused by instabilities in the sun’s magnetic field, while solar flares are sparked by the sudden release of magnetic energy in the sun’s atmosphere.
Solar flares, which are large eruptions of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun, can last anywhere from minutes to hours, and travel at the speed of light. This means that their impact on the sunlit side of Earth’s exposed outer atmosphere happens simultaneously with their observation.
The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are created when charged particles from the sun collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The various gases in the atmosphere then become energised by the charged particles, causing a colourful display of light to beam across the sky.
The two most common gases in the atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen emits purple, blue and pink lights, while oxygen emits green.
Tips for spotting Northern Lights
The Met Office has given some top tips for anyone trying to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis tonight:
- Look to the northern horizon: “If you’ve got a clear view of the horizon you’ve got a chance,” says a Met Office meteorologist.
- They advise stargazers to find an area with low light pollution…
- …and suggest that using a camera or telescope could boost your chances, as they’re more sensitive to different wavelengths than our eyes.