When and where to see the Northern Lights in the UK tonight as rare red alert issued
People in the UK are “likely” to be able to see the Northern Lights in the sky tonight, experts say.
Physicists at Lancaster University, who monitor geomagnetic activity to predict when Britons will be most likely to notice this colorful spectacle, have issued a red aurora alert for Wednesday night.
Weather experts from the Met Office also said the onset of “fast solar winds”, as well as a possible solar phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection (CME), could mean the aurora borealis could be visible to Brits tonight.
He added that the sightings were most likely to occur in northern Scotland, with the chances being lower further south. But the forecaster also warned there could be a wet night in parts of Northern Ireland and northern England.
A graph shared by the Met Office showed that the aurora in the sky was at its highest at 9pm, then rose again at 2am on Thursday.
The aurora borealis is a striking atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when CMEs burst from the sun and travel at speeds of up to several million kilometers per hour. When directed at Earth, they can interact with the planet’s magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms that can produce aurora displays.
The famous lights, most commonly seen in the aurora oval around Iceland, appear as surprising colorful lights in the sky. According to the British Geological Survey, the color of the light depends on the molecules affected. Oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the atmosphere have their own unique colors, causing the blue, green, yellow and red colors observed in the aurora.
Scientists at Lancaster University issued the warning at 6.18pm on Wednesday, saying the red alert meant: “The aurora is likely to be visible to the eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.”
The graph shows activity measured in nanotesla, the unit of magnetic field strength. It reached around 280nT this evening.
The Northern Lights were last seen in the United Kingdom last month and were observed for several nights, particularly in the north of England.
