The Northern Lights were spotted in the UK on Tuesday – and could return again tonight.
Known as the aurora borealis, they are typically seen further north in countries like Iceland and northern parts of Finland, Norway and Canada.
But after being spotted in northern parts of the UK on Tuesday night, geomagnetic activity has spiked again on Wednesday afternoon, opening the door to it returning.
It comes after recent months have seen the Northern Lights make repeated returns to the UK.
This is because the Sun is currently undergoing its solar maximum, the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity.
During this, there is an increased number of sunspots, which means there’s a greater chance of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares.
These, in turn, can lead to the Northern Lights being visible on Earth.
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The sightings overnight on Tuesday coincided with a spike in geomagnetic activity caused by a CME.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, geomagnetic activity spiked again, according to AuroraWatch UK, a site run by Lancaster University, to red alert levels more than double those seen on Tuesday night – raising the prospect of a repeat.
According to the university, a red alert means “it is likely that aurora will be visible by eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.”
However, chances of seeing the aurora on Wednesday night took a hit because the CME that reached Earth on Tuesday has now passed, and because northern areas, where it tends to be most visible, look like they will see overcast cloud cover with some rain.
The south will have clearer skies, but it’s less likely to reach as far.
Similarly, there will be some associated effects from the CME on Tuesday, but it isn’t clear how strong these will be.
What’s the best way to capture them?
While the Northern Lights are visible to the naked eye, the colours often appear faint and muted compared to those captured by camera.
To take better pictures of the aerial phenomena, Adobe recommends using manual camera settings and a wide aperture on a camera.
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It suggests using low shutter speeds, up to 20 seconds, as well as setting the camera’s ISO value all the way to 2,000 or higher – such settings are usually available in smartphones’ camera settings.
What causes the Northern Lights?
The shimmering spectacle occurs when energy and charged particles released from the sun through CMEs and solar flares travel towards Earth on the solar wind.
They then collide with the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere, interacting with gases to create spectacular displays of blue, purple, green, pink and red.
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If the solar activity is strong enough, it will cause a geomagnetic storm.
Such activity occurs more often during the solar maximum.
