Aurora hunters have been instructed to ‘charge those batteries and prepare for a late night’ with a North East expert describing the latest eruption from the sun as ‘unbelievable’
A series of solar flares have been reported which could produce a display similar to that of October 2024(Image: Steven Lomas)
Northern Lights hunters have been alerted to a potential display that could take over the night sky in the North East tonight, Sunday June 1. The Met Office has declared that there are “strong storms” likely as solar activity flares up, which could lead to similar aurora shows to those seen last year.
The sun is still currently in the throes of increased activity, a period called Solar Maximum, which was responsible for the spectacular displays seen in 2024 due to the Northern Lights being caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. The latest Met Office Space Weather forecast has reported four M-class solar flares – the second-largest category – over the last 24 hours, increasing chances of an aurora appearing.
In addition, a Coronal Mass Ejection from the sun has been observed heading towards Earth, driving up the likelihood of the Northern Lights showing up. Chronicle Live caught up with expert Steven Lomas from South Shields, who runs the Facebook group Northern Lights Hunters North East England, for his verdict on the chances of a display on Sunday night.
“The speed is the exceptional part of this eruption,” Steven shared. “I’ve never seen a solar wind speed of over 1,000 kilometres a second. That is unbelievable, really – certainly not the fastest that’s been recorded, but the fastest that I’ve ever seen in nine years of aurora hunting.”
He went on: “Currently there’s an extreme geomagnetic storm over the Arctic, so those with dark skies in the Southern hemisphere will be getting a really good display. […] It could very well be another similar display to October.”
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The breathtaking display seen on the night of October 7, 2024 saw many North East aurora hunters snap some incredible shots of the kaleidoscope of colours across the sky. However, the long days of summer right now mean that the UK could miss out on the height of the display this time around, and it’s simply a waiting game until nightfall on Sunday evening.
“It could all turn on its head, or it could continue to get better and better,” Steven remarked. The sun does not set until 9.34pm tonight, so there is little hope of seeing even a display until later on.
“The Northern horizon where the aurora is normally visible for us is going to be too light for the aurora to be seen there,” Steven noted. “What I’m hoping is that the storm is strong enough that it goes above that and is closer to being overhead, which will give a much better display.”
In addition, there’s a risk that any display could be marred by cloudy conditions, with overcast conditions throughout the day on Sunday – however, the Met Office forecast predicts that showers are set to clear to leave a “dry night with clear spells” in the North East. The moon is also in its Waxing Crescent phase, meaning its light will do little to interfere with any aurora appearance.
The most recent Met Office aurora forecast reads: “A Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) arrival is expected during the morning of June 1, which combined with ongoing strong solar winds, could see a significant enhancement in geomagnetic activity. Aurora sightings may be visible down to central parts of the UK and similar latitudes, however an expected arrival time during daylight hours may minimise any viewings unless the enhancement extends into the evening or overnight into June 2.”
Steven is due to update his Northern Lights Facebook group, which has more than 66,000 members, this evening between 5-6pm with further information about the chances of a display developing. “Fingers crossed for this evening for the UK. Best charge those batteries and prepare for a late night,” he said.