Aurorawatch UK issued the notice with it likely to be visible across the UK including all of England with the naked eye tonight
The northern lights could be visible across England with the naked eye tonight(Image: John Myers)
A red alert has been issued for the Northern Lights due to significant coronal mass ejections from the sun impacting the Earth’s atmosphere. Aurorawatch UK announced the warning, indicating that the phenomenon is likely to be visible across the UK, including all of England with the naked eye, according to experts.
Experts predict that tonight’s display could be seen across the entire UK. ‘AuroraWatch UK’ reported an increase in solar activity, with ‘amber’ and then ‘red’ alerts being sent out this afternoon. The Sun is currently experiencing a “maximum” phase in its 11-year solar cycle.
This peak period results in numerous sunspots on the solar surface, which are akin to volcanoes and can erupt occasionally. These eruptions, also known as Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), discharge additional material and energy into space.
When directed at Earth, our planet’s magnetic field draws the energy in, entering our atmosphere at the poles. The Met Office Space Weather forecasting service stated: “Minor to moderate geomagnetic activity is likely during Friday night. Aurora could potentially be visible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England and similar geomagnetic latitudes. However, the current short hours of darkness will greatly limit views. Activity is then likely to decline during the weekend.
The optimal time to witness the Northern Lights is usually between 10.30pm and 2am. Aurora displays are a result of charged particles colliding with gases in Earth’s atmosphere near the magnetic poles.
Aurorawatch UK this afternoon issued a red alert saying the aurora borealis will be visible across the UK with the naked eye(Image: Aurorawatch UK)
In the northern hemisphere, these events typically occur within the ‘aurora oval’, which spans latitudes from 60 to 75 degrees.
When there’s heightened activity, the aurora oval expands, making it possible for the Northern Lights to be visible as far south as the UK, which has been the case across the country in 2024.
The British Geological Survey notes that larger Northern Lights displays tend to happen around the equinoxes (March-April and September-October) due to an increase in magnetic storms at these times.
“The brightest aurora are typically around 11pm to midnight local time,” says Andy Smith, a Northumbria University researcher who is exploring artificial intelligence for space weather prediction.
Analysis of Space Weather Activity over past 24 hours
“There are now eight sunspot regions on the visible disc. A region approaching the southwest limb remains the most complex region on the disc, with two large and strong spots of opposite magnetic polarity close together. Another region in the southwest is the largest region on the disc and has shown development in the intermediate spots. A region in the northwest continues to show growth, with a north-south aligned magnetic field which could increase instability. Two regions in the northeast are becoming clearer as they rotate further onto the disc, with little complexity shown in either region at present. The remaining regions are currently small and magnetically simple.”