Will the Northern Lights be seen on New Year’s Eve? Find out when and the place
The Northern Lights could be visible in the UK on New Year’s Eve, with a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a magnetic storm on the Sun which causes auroras – expected to arrive tonight
Brits might just get the dazzling late Christmas treat of the Northern Lights this New Year’s Eve if the skies play nice. The stunning spectacle has already wowed millions across the UK this year, with lucky stargazers as far down as East Sussex catching a peek at the celestial dance.
And more could be on the way come New Year’s Eve – though not quite stretching to those southern skies – provided the clouds keep away. A coronal mass ejection (CME) – basically a big old solar storm – is expected to hit today, meaning folks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England might just see the lights usually reserved for the Arctic Circle.
Elizabeth J McGrath of Colby College told The Sun more aurora action could be expected next year, saying: “The sun has been very active recently, and we expect it to continue through 2025.”
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She added: “Normally we only see the aurora at locations close to Earth’s magnetic north and south poles because charged particles from the sun get trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field and funneled to the poles.
“With stronger solar storms during solar maximum, there are more charged particles from the sun, and when these particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can be distributed farther from Earth’s north and south magnetic poles, reaching more southerly latitudes here on Earth,” reports the Mirror.
Blighty’s hopes of catching the dazzling Northern Lights might be dashed as gnarly weather sets in. Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Willington has issued a heads-up, saying: “A series of low-pressure systems will track across the UK over the next couple of days bringing some potentially disruptive weather.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week, demonstrating that it is a complicated weather forecast at the moment. Although we know today and tomorrow will see heavy rain and strong winds in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, plus some snow in parts of Scotland, it’s Wednesday’s weather where there is less confidence.”
As for New Year’s Eve (Tuesday), a slew of warnings for wind, snow and rain are set to hit the land, including an Amber Warning for rain in swaths of Scotland.
