People will want to have their cameras at the ready to capture this as it’ll be near impossible to catch with the naked eye
The Northern Lights will be visible over parts of the UK this week. Brits are being told to prepare if they want a chance to see it for themselves.
According to the Met Office’s Space Weather forecast, February 27 and 28 are the “most likely” days to catch a glimpse of the natural phenomenon. A spokesperson added: “Viewings could then be possible from northern Scotland and similar geomagnetic latitudes.”
It said that solar activity was “moderate” with three flares and eight sunspot regions on the sun. During more moderate to strong geomagnetic storms (Kp6-7), the Aurora borealis often moves southwards across southern Iceland or towards the Faeroes.
These auroras can be “faintly visible” from the UK. Whilst it won’t be as intense, there is still a chance to see the aurora in specific conditions.
Dark and clear nights, preferably with little light pollution, offer the best chance of seeing the aurora. The best chance of seeing the aurora is around midnight local time, 10pm to 2am. However, depending on geomagnetic activity, the aurora may appear anytime. during the night.
What are the Northern Lights?
Also known as the Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights are a natural light display in the night sky caused by charged particles from the sun. The lights we see in the night sky are actually caused by activity on the surface of the sun.
The two primary gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen, and these elements give off different colours during an aurora display. The green in the aurora is characteristic of oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.
In recent years, photographers have gone to remarkable lengths to capture these atmospheric events’ beauty.
How can I capture the moment?
It can be difficult for the naked eye to see the phenomenon clearly, and it is often portrayed much brighter in pictures than it really appears in person. According to the Met Office, plenty of people have seen great photos of the auroras – but it takes careful planning and the right conditions to capture one of your own.
It lists several tips to improve your photo quality and opportunities, such as:
- Aim for a clear sky with no wind, and find a ‘dark skies’ location with low light pollution
- Look for an interesting foreground – trees will create silhouettes in the sky or a lake/water, which will create reflections
- Make sure your camera or smartphone is mounted on a tripod, which you can adjust so the camera points upwards into the sky.
- Start with a wide-angle lens (35mm to 14mm on a full-frame camera) to get as much of the sky as possible
- Set your camera’s white balance to 3500k for the most natural and consistent results
If you’re not using a digital camera, there’s no need to worry. You can still get a great photo on your phone. With an iPhone, enable night mode on your device (this usually appears in a low-lit setting as an icon in the top left corner next to the flash). Then, turn off the flash and maximise the exposure setting.