Don't forget a tripod and set up a long exposure. Sometimes a camera, even the one on your smartphone, can record the northern lights, even if you can’t see much with the naked eye. Remember to wrap up warm as temperatures can fall fast on those cold, clear nights. You need clear and dark skies and it’s best to avoid the light pollution of cities. There are plenty of websites and apps that can help you monitor the sun’s activity, and even send you alerts when there is a high chance of spotting the northern lights from your location. Keep an eye out for strong solar activity ![]() So here are my MetMatters top tips to spotting these elusive dancing lights. Northern lights seen across the UK – in pictures Īround the spring and autumn equinoxes there is often an increase in occurrences of the aurorae. The Northern Lights' red and green colors dazzled the night sky over eastern England's town of Swaffham /ncg5huMakR Last night the Northern Lights put on a fine display for my home town Denny □ #NorthernLights #Auroraborealis #denny #falkirk #visitfalkirk #scotland #visitscotland #drone /RtEMWl3AdA This huge coronal mass ejection and an especially high-speed solar wind meant the northern lights were spotted across the UK, as far south as Cornwall. Northern Scotland is favoured to see the #Aurora overhead, but sightings closer to the horizon are possible as far south as southern Britain - *if* you have clear skiesĬheck out the forecast □ /2mMceWhrVtĪt the end of February 2023, magnetic disturbances in the sun’s upper atmosphere caused a huge expulsion of electrically charged particles. □ Strong solar activity means another chance to see the #NorthernLights tonight However, events known as coronal mass ejections can cause the annulus to expand, bringing the aurorae to lower latitudes. Auroras usually occur in a ring, or annulus, centred on the magnetic pole, so prime viewing spots in the northern hemisphere tend to be places such as Iceland, southern Greenland and northern parts of Finland, Norway, Canada and Alaska. The frequency and intensity of the aurora increase when the Sun is more active. Meanwhile nitrogen causes the sky to glow blue, yet when higher in the atmosphere it glows purple. Oxygen produces green light when it is hit 60 miles above the Earth, while at 100 to 200 miles it produces rare all-red auroras. This is well above the troposphere, the lowest layer of our atmosphere where most of our weather occurs. When this happens, the gas molecule gains and then loses energy by releasing tiny flashes of light.Įach gas emits a particular colour of light, depending on where they are in the atmosphere, somewhere between 50 and 400 miles up. But around the poles the field is weaker, so particles can get into the upper atmosphere and bump into gas molecules. Usually, our magnetic field deflects the stream of charged particles expelled from the outer layer of the Sun. These stunning displays of green, yellow, pink, violet, blue and red light are caused by bursts of solar wind colliding with the Earth’s magnetic field. Their equivalent in the southern hemisphere are the aurora australis (southern lights). Aurora was the Roman goddess of dawn and Boreas was the Greek name for north wind. And while more space weather than our usual earthly phenomena, you do need the right weather conditions to see them (namely clear skies!).īack in the early 17th century, the Italian scientist Galileo Galilei christened these lights the aurora borealis. They are a huge tourist attraction there, and in other countries around the Arctic Circle, including Norway.Witnessing the northern lights flickering in the night sky is probably on most people’s wish list. ![]() In Finnish Lapland, the Northern Lights are in the sky for 200 nights of the year. They can take place at any time of day or night but are more spectacular on a clear night with no clouds, when colours are set against the dark sky. Aurorae are most commonly seen in September, October, March and April. In the northern hemisphere, the Aurora Borealis is seen mainly in the far north, but can sometimes be visible as far south as Europe and even the UK. Billions of watts of electricity are generated by the solar wind in a single auroral display this can interfere with power lines, radio and television broadcasts, and satellite communications. ![]() They can take various forms shaped by the Earth’s magnetic field lines the most common types are arcs, bands and curtains. The red, green, blue and violet colours of aurorae are produced when the charged particles collide with different gases in the atmosphere, mainly compounds of nitrogen and oxygen.
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