Northern Lights may be visible tonight – here’s the best place to see them

Brits may get another glimpse of the aurora borealis tonight as forecasters predict the Northern Lights will hit the UK this week.

The lights could be visible as early as tonight, with the Met Office confirming the possibility of auroral displays.

Magnetic radiation from the sun is expected to his the atmosphere early tonight, with the impact being felt over the next four days.

In May the aurora lights were visible for the first time across the UK in 20 years, even visible over the London’s light pollution.

Can I see the Northern Lights tonight?

Depending on where you live, there is a chance the Northern Lights will be visible tonight, July 29, 2024.

According to the British Geological Survey, the best chances of seeing the phenomenon is between 10pm and 2am.

The Met Office said: ‘Confidence is low but the auroral oval may become enhanced Monday night into Tuesday from the impact of a Coronal Mass Ejection.’

The solar winds are carrying radiation from the sun to the earth at around 400 kilomtres per second, the Met Office said.

Will the Aurora Borealis be visible in London tonight?

Sightings are most likely in northern Scotland and Northern Ireland, it said, with a slight chance of catching them in northern England or north Wales.

But the Met Office has confirmed the best spot to see them tonight will be in Scotland.

They said: ‘Aurora sightings may become visible in Scotland although impeded by limited hours of darkness.’

On May 10, impressive aurora displays were recorded across the country, including Whitley Bay on the north east coast, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Wokingham in Berkshire.

Aurora displays happen when charged particles beamed out from sunspots collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

Activity usually occurs in the northern hemisphere, but when it’s strong it can cover a larger area and therefore seen further south.

Solar flares caused the spectacular lights in May, which can cause radio blackouts in the UK.

Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick, Ravindra Desai, explained that while the active region of the Sun is now rotated away from the Earth, energetic particles from the flare ‘can still reach the Earth and cause radio blackouts and damage to orbiting satellites’.

Dr Desai added, ‘It important to note that active region 3664 may persist for two weeks or longer and therefore will once again be oriented towards the Earth. So in two weeks there is an elevated chance of further major geomagnetic storms and aurora over the UK’.

When will the Northern Lights next be visible in the UK?

The Met Office has stated that there may also be a stronger strike of solar geomagnetic radiation on Wednesday, July 31, 2024.

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