The Northern Lights will shine bright in the UK sky again, but this time has been dubbed a "once in a decade" event.
We seem to have been spoiled by the Northern Lights in recent times, and it seems like there's no need to go to Scandinavia to see them anymore.
While that would still be the trip of a lifetime, the lights keep being visible from our own backyards, and that's pretty cool.
Well, a rare solar event expected to unfold over the coming months could bring more frequent sightings of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, across the UK, reaching as far south as central and southern England, as reported by the Metro.
The sun’s magnetic fields undergo a reversal approximately every 11 years, a process known as the solar cycle.
We are now approaching the peak of this cycle, or “solar maximum,” a phase when the sun’s activity surges, sending increased solar energy and charged particles toward Earth.
“While it’s not possible to know precisely what this means for individual Earth-directed solar events, it does mean there will likely be further chances of aurora visibility in the UK in the coming months,” says Krista Hammond, from the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC).
During solar maximum, the heightened activity on the sun’s surface, including solar flares and coronal mass ejections, collides with the Earth's magnetic field.
This interaction excites atoms in the atmosphere, causing them to release light in vibrant colors, depending on the type of gas involved - oxygen produces green and red hues, while nitrogen creates blue tinges.
The Met Office, using data from NASA, has not pinpointed the exact date for the solar maximum, though it’s widely anticipated to happen in 2024.
AuroraWatch UK, which tracks real-time aurora activity, currently indicates no significant chance of Northern Lights sightings today.
However, outside the solar maximum period, spring and autumn remain the most favorable times to view auroras, particularly around the equinoxes.
As the solar maximum fades, the sun will gradually transition to a “solar minimum” phase, a period marked by reduced solar activity.
During this phase, sightings of the Northern Lights will likely become less frequent, as there will be fewer solar flares or mass ejections energizing Earth’s atmosphere.
“While the total number of sunspots will start to reduce after solar maximum, we will continue to see space weather throughout the solar cycle, even as overall activity declines,” Hammond adds.
“In some solar cycles, the larger events can happen as the Sun transitions back towards solar minimum.”
For those in the US, it can be rare to get a glimpse of the Northern Lights, but stargazers can travel to different destinations like Iceland, Sweden, Finland, and the Scottish Highlands to increase their chances of seeing the breathtaking view.
