The Northern Lights Could Be Visible Over The UK This Weekend

The Northern Lights could be visible in parts of the UK this weekend thanks to some unusual solar activity, according to the Met Office.

I know what you're thinking. 'Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country?'.

Well, get used to it, because apparently it is on the cards.

The spectacular light show more usually associated with Scandinavia could be seen in the northern parts of the United Kingdom in the coming days because of a particularly powerful storm on the surface of the sun.

You see, the Northern Lights occurs when charged particles coming all the way from the sun collide with particles of gas from our planet's atmosphere.

The ethereal fireworks display is created when electrons and protons are blown across the Earth by solar winds. That means that scientists can predict when the aurora is going to be stronger or weaker by observing the surface of the sun.

More powerful solar weather often leads to stronger auroras. It's that simple.

The Met Office reckon that this weekend is going to see some strong activity. A spokesperson for their Space Weather Operations Centre (sounds like a pretty cool place to work) said: "[Coronal Mass Ejection] forecast to arrive late 23rd March following C5 flare from sunspot AR2736.

"Active-minor geomagnetic storm periods possible with low risk of moderate storms.

"As a result, aurora may be visible in Scotland where cloud breaks."

Scientists in the USA agree with them, too.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have determined that the most likely time that the powerful solar storms will happen is between the hours of 3pm and 9pm on Saturday 23 March.

So, it follows that this will be the most likely time for those in the north of the UK to see the Northern Lights. If you're lucky enough to be up there whilst the skies are clear.

If you're looking to catch a bit of the action, you're better off going away from populated areas and places where there is a load of artificial light.

You'd probably also be well served checking in with the weather forecasters to figure out where you're most likely not to just seen clouds and rain.

If you manage to get hold of all of that information and stay clear of too much light pollution, you could just be in for a breathtaking celestial show.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, Weather, UK News, News, Interesting, UK

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim