It is “very likely” Brits will be able to see the Northern Lights again tonight, researchers at Lancaster University say, because the skies are clear, especially across Scotland
Video Unavailable
Northern Lights sighting ‘likely’ for some in coming days
Some Brits should be able to see the Northern Lights tonight after a red alert was issued, scientists say.
A red alert has been issued by researchers looking at aurora borealis activity – and they say the skies will be clear in some places throughout the night. Boffins at Lancaster University run the tool called AuroraWatch UK, which monitors the activity. It states: “Red alert: aurora likely” and says the greatest chances of catching the display will be from the Shetland Islands.
The optimum time to see the aurora borealis is understand to be midnight. But a photograph sent to the team shows a sky-watcher in London caught a rare glimpse of the aurora borealis on Wednesday night. Their picture, thought to have been taken beside the River Thames, shows a red hue light up the clear sky.
Skies are said to be clear tonight too, particularly in eastern parts. Meteorologists at the Met Office have issued a striking graphic, which shows the probabilities of catching a glimpse of the latest aurora borealis across the UK. As often the case, those living in Scotland and Northern Ireland are most likely to witness the display, with optimum conditions expected at around midnight.
Skies will generally be clear too, further enhancing chances to enjoy the dazzling aurora. Even those further south may still enjoy the Northern Lights this evening, the Met Office points out.
“Look north in the coming nights and you may spot the #NorthernLights. A coronal mass ejection from the sun is earth bound and whilst there’s some uncertainty on its arrival time, sightings of the #aurora are likely in northern areas with a slight chance in the south too,” a Met Office post on X, formerly Twitter, reads this afternoon.
The graphic, published by the Mirror as a video above, highlights the probability of seeing the aurora borealis will be near 100% for those across the Shetland Islands and the northern tip of mainland Scotland.
It’s around 50% across Scottish Highlands and the tip of Northern Ireland, and less likely – but still viable – further south. The Met Office says it’ll be rainy across parts of Scotland tonight but “largely dry elsewhere, with lengthy clear spells”. Clouds typically hinder the chances of seeing the Northern Lights.
Writing on its website, the Met Office says: “The Northern Lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
“Solar winds are charged particles that stream away from the Sun at speeds of around one million miles per hour. When the magnetic polarity of the solar wind is opposite to the Earth’s magnetic field, the two magnetic fields combine allowing these energetic particles to flow into the Earth’s magnetic north and south poles.
“Auroras usually occur in a band called the annulus (a ring about 1,865 miles across) centred on the magnetic pole. The arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) from the Sun can cause the annulus to expand, bringing the aurora to lower latitudes. It is under these circumstances that the lights can be seen in the UK.”
