You'd be forgiven for thinking that by living in the UK, witnessing the beautiful phenomenon that is the Northern Lights in our skies would be pretty much impossible – but not these days, it seems.
Earlier in 2024, countless people in the UK have been lucky enough to see the aurora borealis light up the night sky in pink and green hues (something that most would usually hope to see during a trip to Iceland or Canada). But if you missed out, there may be more opportunity to see the Northern Lights in the UK again – because experts are predicting more aurora activity during the UK's heatwave. Here's everything you need to know.
Why can we see the Northern Lights in the UK?
According to the Met Office, the Northern Lights occur “as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere.”
Aurora lights are polar lights that occur near Earth's magnetic pole – hence why they are usually seen in countries like Iceland – but sometimes, occurrences called ‘Coronal Mass Ejections’ (CME) from the sun can cause the area to expand, bringing the aurora to lower latitudes.
It's usually pretty uncommon to see the Northern Lights in the UK, but there have been several sightings in 2024 – including in Essex, Suffolk, London and Liverpool.
Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will line up next month.
When can we next see the Northern Lights in the UK?
Once again, there will have to be a specific set of circumstances in order for the aurora borealis to appear again. And according to aurora experts, that time is now. The Northern Lights were witnessed by many people across the UK on 11 August 2024, and it's said that activity will continue on 12 August 2024, since there are clear skies across much of the country. It's most likely they will appear in Northern England and Scotland, however.
The MetOffice Space Watch service has stated: “Ongoing Coronal Mass Ejection influence will persist but wane during the afternoon of Monday 12th Aug. Another coronal mass ejection enhancement is likely late 12 or early 13 Aug, this will bring a chance of visible aurora to Scotland and parts of Northern England overnight. Later 13 Aug activity should return back to background levels, with significant enhancements currently unlikely and any visible aurora restricted to far northern Scotland.”
Even better, the current aurora coincides with the Perseid meteor shower – one of the most plentiful showers we can see from earth – which take place between 17 July and 24 August each year.
How can I increase my chances of seeing the Northern Lights in the UK?
The best thing to do is get yourself an aurora app, such as AuroraWatch or My Aurora Forecast, which will send a notification if chances are high. The Northern Lights are best seen on a clear night, with no clouds.
It's worth noting that the aurora is usually seen in the early hours of the morning, too, so you'll need to set an alarm! Many also report that it's easier to see the Northern Lights through a phone camera rather than the naked eye. The best seasons for aurora watching are around the spring and autumn equinoxes.
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