THIS is the exact time and place Britons can see the aurora borealis again tonight thanks to a geomagnetic storm.
The Northern Lights could be visible again in parts of the UK tonight after the rare phenomenon was spotted over the weekend.
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Britons could see the aurora borealis again tonightCredit: Reuters
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Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, Scotland tonightCredit: Getty
Also known as the aurora borealis, bands of pink and green light have been seen across the UK and parts of Europe.
An “extreme” geomagnetic storm caused them to be more visible, US government experts said.
Weather forecaster Marco Petagna said he expected “another injection of solar energy in the next few hours”.
This means that the lights could be visible again in some parts of the country tonight.
Marco said: “You’re more likely to see him if you’re in the north of the UK again.
“In places like Scotland, Northern Ireland and areas in northern England – it’s also very cloud dependent.
“There have also been thundery showers across the north today so that could make things a bit more difficult.
“The best chance of seeing the lights is if you are in an area in the north of the UK with clear skies.”
Petagna added that the aurora could be visible in southern parts of the UK.
But it would probably only be seen through a good camera, not the naked eye.
‘Extreme’ G5 solar storm hits Earth for first time in over 20 years, threatening to disrupt internet, phone and power grids
A G5 geomagnetic storm, considered the extreme and strongest level of a solar storm, hit Earth on Thursday.
The cause of this storm was a “large, complex” cluster of sunspots, 17 times the diameter of the Earth.
The aurora was most visible on Friday night, when there were sightings “head to tail across the country”.
The last G5 storm hit Earth more than 20 years ago in October 2003.
This caused a power cut in Sweden, Professor Carole Haswell told the BBC Radio 4 Today Program yesterday.
Professor Haswell said: “Many satellites communicate using radio signals.
“All those charged particles rushing around interfere with radio signals, especially the GPS used by airplanes.
“It can cause navigation problems, it can cause satellites to fail, it can bring down power systems.
“The last big G5 storm caused a power outage in Sweden and I haven’t heard of anything happening this time yet.
“Hopefully humans have designed some kind of redundancy in their systems so they can actually survive this kind of space weather.”
Professor Haswell also discovered how the different colors within the aurora are formed.
She said: “The green comes from oxygen which is about 80 to 250 miles above the Earth’s surface.
“The purples, blues and pinks come from nitrogen, and when you get a very strong aurora, sometimes you see a kind of crimson red color.
“It comes from the oxygen that is higher up in the earth’s atmosphere, about 280 miles up.”
Auroras occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
In the Northern Hemisphere, most of this activity occurs within a band known as the auroral oval between 60 and 75 degrees north.
When the activity is strong, it expands to cover a larger area – which explains why displays can occasionally be seen as far south as the UK.
What are auroras?
Auroras occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
In the Northern Hemisphere, most of this activity occurs within a band known as the auroral oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.
When the activity is strong, it expands to cover a larger area – which explains why displays can occasionally be seen as far south as the UK.
Visibility of the northern lights increased on Friday due to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The phenomenon appears as beautiful dancing green and purple ribbons of light that have captivated people for millennia.
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Aurora Borealis seen over Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh on Friday 10 May Credit: 2024 PA Media
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education