Exact time you could spot Northern Lights again this weekend – and where in UK you’ll get the best view
THE best time and place to watch the Northern Lights this weekend has been revealed.
The Aurora Borealis dazzled the nation last weekend – and is set to make another appearance in coming days.
This weekend, northern parts of the country may yet be able to catch another glimpse of the phenomenon.
A “red alert” has been issued – meaning aurora will be visible by eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.
However, some parts of Britain will get a better show than others.
The Met Office space weather department says “enhancement to the aurora is likely into early May 18” in the Northern Hemisphere.
They added: “The aurora may become visible as far south as parts of Scotland where skies are clear.
“Mainly background aurora conditions are expected thereafter.”
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large expulsions of plasma from the sun.
The forecaster’s space weather map even shows us what is the best time to catch a glimpse.
It shows that the lights will hit the northern top of Scotland at midnight on Sunday.
It comes after scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics issued a “red alert” for Aurora Borealis.
AuroraWatch UK explained: “Aurora is likely to be visible by eye from Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland; possibly visible from elsewhere in the UK.
“Photographs of aurora are likely from anywhere in the UK.”
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased because of an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
What are the Northern Lights?
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.
When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area – which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased on Friday because of an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The phenomena appears as beautiful dancing green and purple ribbons of light that have captivated people for millennia.
The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, hit earth on Thursday.
The cause of this storm was a “large, complex” sunspot cluster and is 17 times the diameter of earth, with the last storm with a G5 rating hitting earth in October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden.