Credit: Jonny Gios via Unsplash
With autumn well and truly on the way, we’re obviously looking for something other than rain in the skies – so the prospect of being able to see the Northern Lights as soon as the calendar turns to September is pretty great. Luckily for us, the Northern Lights are set to be visible over Manchester tonight (September 1), so if those pesky clouds can move along, we’ll be getting a true early autumn treat.
The Met Office has issued a G4 (severe) alert for Geomagnetic Storms for tonight (September 1), so there’s a high likelihood that we’ll see the Northern Lights in North West skies.
Credit: Secret Manchester How does an aurora display occur?
The Northern Lights (or aurora borealis) occur as a result of solar activity and from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Depending on which gas molecules are hit and where they are in the atmosphere, different amounts of energy are released as different wavelengths of light.
According to the Met Office, “Oxygen gives off green light when it is hit 60 miles above the Earth, whilst at 100-200 miles rare, all-red auroras are produced. Nitrogen causes the sky to glow blue yet when higher in the atmosphere the glow has a purple hue.”
Will the Northern Lights be visible in the Manchester skies tonight? 
Credit: Mike-Hubert.com, via Shutterstock
But what are the chances of Manchester witnessing the Northern Lights on an early September night like tonight? The Met Office has reported a likelihood of G4 (a severe Geomagnetic Storm) on September 1 going into September 2, and further in September 3, with the chance of moderate solar flares likely.
The Met Office says: “Geomagnetic storms are large disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by changes in the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) structure. These changes in the solar wind arise from disturbances on the sun, such as in powerful coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
“Their effect can be felt for a number of days. With the right magnetic configuration, and increases in solar wind speed and density, large amounts of energy can be transferred into the Earth’s geomagnetic system.
“The effect of geomagnetic storms can result in impacts to power systems, spacecraft operations and other communication.”
Northern Hemisphere Northern Lights forecast 
Credit: Met Office
According to the Met Office, “A fast-moving Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) that departed the Sun late on 30 August is forecast to arrive at Earth either late on 1 September or early on 2 September (UTC). Following its arrival, a significant enhancement of the auroral oval is likely, potentially continuing into 3 September.
“At peak activity, and where skies are sufficiently dark and clear, aurora may be visible across much of the UK, potentially without the need for photographic equipment. However, a waxing gibbous Moon may hinder visibility in some areas.”
So, hopefully, we’re in with a high chance of seeing this rare phenomenon once again in Manchester – we’ve been lucky enough just a handful of times.