Northern Lights set to dazzle parts of the UK TONIGHT – where to look

THE UK is set for another sighting of the Northern Lights tonight, thanks to solar winds hitting Earth at around 800km per second.

Brits were graced with a dazzling show last month, when when the Aurora Borealis was visible in southern parts of the country, such as Kent and Cornwall.

Nick Bull/pictureexclusive.com

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, are the result of electrically charged particles from the sun, smashing into gaseous particles in our planet’s atmosphere.

This solar flare is often joined by a coronal mass ejection – which is a huge expulsion of plasma from the sun’s outer layer.

A recent solar storm has the Met Office alerting the public to yet another colourful spectacle occurring Thursday and Friday night this week.

The display might trickle into the early hours of April 1 in some northern parts of Scotland.

Krista Hammond, of the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre, said: “Minor solar storms are possible on Thursday and Friday night, which means Aurora sightings would be possible in northern Scotland under clear skies.

“As this is a fairly minor solar storm, the Auroras aren’t expected to be visible much further south on this occasion.”

Brits will have a “hole” discovered on the surface of the sun to thank for the spectacular views.

The coronal hole is around 20 times bigger than Earth, and was first spotted by Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory.

Unlike last time, the display is expected to remain further north, and so should be visible in parts of Scotland.

Daniel Verscharen, associate professor in space plasma physics at University College London, said: “Coronal holes are regions from where fast solar wind is launched into space.

“Fast solar wind has speeds of about 700 or 800km per second and is thus almost twice as fast as the average solar wind.

“This particular coronal hole is of interest to us because it has pointed towards Earth – this means that it has released fast solar wind towards the Earth.”

Solar storms have the capability to interrupt satellites and power infrastructure.

However, forecasters are not expecting any major damage to occur as it is a minor one.

“This is expected to be a G1 solar storm, which is the lowest category for these events and the most frequent events we see,” explained Hammond.

How do I see it?

Firstly, it helps to be in an area with little light pollution.

Rural areas are best for sky gazing.

The polar lights could appear anytime between 7pm and 4am.

Auroral displays are most often seen further north, but stronger flares can move south.

Sometimes, Aurora can appear white to the human eye, so it can help to take a quick photo on your phone to help reveal the colours.

If you’re planning on photographing the aurora properly, you’ll need a DSLR or bridge camera and ideally a tripod.

Experts have also advised that hopeful watchers not be too disheartened if the aurora look dim at first.

This is because they usually brighten over the course of a few hours.

People should also stay vigilant, as the display can change quickly.

But it’s unpredictability is why the sight is firmly placed on the bucket lists of many.

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