The UK has been told to get ready to feast your eyes on the stunning Northern Lights once more.
AuroraWatch UK has given us the heads up: “Aurora is likely to be visible by eye from Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland; possibly visible from elsewhere in the UK. Photographs of aurora are likely from anywhere in the UK.”
Last weekend was a real treat for stargazers as the skies lit up with an array of dazzling hues.
READ MORE: Stargazers ‘should have gone to Specsavers’ after hilarious Northern Lights gaffe
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Just this week, boffins gave a 60% chance that a radiation storm would wallop Earth. No sweat for us humans, but our beloved satellites might feel the pinch, reports the Mirror.
These solar radiation storms, or Solar Proton Events if you’re fancy, kick off when the Sun chucks protons our way at breakneck speeds and right now, they’re zooming towards us.
For the best Northern Lights show, aim to look up between 9pm and midnight (though the early birds might also catch a glimpse in the early hours too). The Amber Alert went out at 3.45pm on May 17.
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Aurora Watch has laid it out plain and simple: “An aurora is generally not visible through cloud cover. So if it’s very cloudy, foggy or misty, you’ll probably not be able to see an aurora. Our simple check for this is: can you see the stars? If so, you’re seeing the night sky and clouds are not obstructing your view. If you can’t, then those pesky clouds are getting in the way and you won’t be seeing an aurora.”
Meanwhile, Space Weather Live has given the all-clear on solar radiation storms, stating: “Solar radiation storms are not dangerous for people on Earth. We are protected from these storms by Earth’s magnetic field and Earth’s atmosphere. One effect that we can experience on Earth during strong solar radiation storms is an increased risk of people on transpolar flights receiving a higher dose of radiation than normal.”
They’ve also highlighted some potential hiccups, noting: “Transpolar flights sometimes have to be rerouted or cancelled because of these radiation storms. Another effect is that it can cause some communication problems over the polar areas. These protons are also a radiation threat to astronauts, in particular during their extra-vehicular activities (space walks).”
(Image: AuroraWatch)
And just when you thought it was all calm skies ahead, Lancaster University physics professor Jim Wild chimed in with a warning, as reported by The Mirror: “The sun remains very active and it could fire another coronal mass ejection earthward at almost any time,” he cautioned earlier this week.
“At the moment, we know there is at least one more heading in our direction, but it’s not yet clear how whether it will hit Earth and if it does it’s unlikely to have as powerful an impact as the one that arrived on Friday. We can’t rule out more displays of the Northern Lights in the next few days, but for now it looks like last weekend’s activity was the main event.”
“Events of the size we saw at the weekend typically occur every couple of decades, but that is just measure of statistical likelihood. The Sun is currently at the peak in its 11-year cycle of activity so further solar storms powerful enough to push the aurora toward the south of the UK are still very possible in the coming weeks and months.”
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