Eyes on the sky
The Northern Lights could be visible to Brits this evening, the Met Office has said.
The forecaster has said that clear skies this evening will mean the lights, also known as the aurora borealis, could be visible to sky-gazers across mainly Scotland.
In a post on X, the Met Office said: “Grab your big coat and your cameras as you may spot the Northern Lights this week with clear skies in the forecast. Sightings possible with the naked eye in the north, with a chance of sightings further south – these more likely with a long exposure camera.”
Sadly for those further south, there’s very little chance of any magic in the sky tonight.
However, with the current heightened solar activity throughout the year, there should hopefully be more chances to spot them before the end of the year.
One of the most incredible spectacles the natural world has to offer, the aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, occur when electrically-charged particles are given off by solar storms and eventually collide with the earth’s atmosphere.
Increased solar flare activity causes coronal mass ejections (CMEs), sending out electrically charged particles from the sun which become trapped in by the Earth’s magnetic field.
Once trapped, the particles then heat up atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere by smashing into them, resulting in the bright colours we know as the Northern Lights.
The aurora are usually visible from countries closest to the Arctic, such as Canada, Iceland and Norway.
But when there is particularly large amount of solar activity, they can be visible further south than usual – such as from northern parts of the UK.
For best viewing of the aurora borealis, you’ll need clear, dark skies relying on a lack of moonlight as well as minimal cloud clover.
If you’re still struggling to get a clear sight of the lights, advice follows that a phone camera can help locate them as they detect the colourful display more effectively than the human eye.
