The UK could be set for another display of Northern Lights after the Sun blasted a huge X-class flare this week. A sunspot region unleashed an X-class solar flare on Thursday, the most powerful solar ejection. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event. NASA explains that solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Although harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, when intense enough, they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communication signals travel.
This event follows the Northern Lights illuminating the skies with green and pink hues across the north of England on Thursday. Photos of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, were captured over Cullercoats Bay in north Tyneside, on the northeast coast of England. Bright green hues and faint colours of pink lit up the skies above Cullercoats Bay with ideal viewing conditions. The natural phenomenon was also visible across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jonathan Vautrey, Met Office meteorologist, highlighted Thursday night’s “pretty ideal conditions” with “very little cloud”.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees. The recent solar flare was observed by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft, whose mission is to study the Sun’s dynamics to enhance understanding of solar variability. The Met Office mentioned the possibility of another chance to see the lights on Friday night into Saturday, though the display was expected to be weaker.
Strong solar flares like this have the potential to cause coronal mass ejections (CME), resulting in geomagnetic storms when directed at Earth. These storms can trigger spectacular displays of aurora as the Earth’s magnetosphere is affected by the solar wind. While these storms create beautiful aurora, they can also disrupt navigation systems, radio communications, and affect the power grid. The Met Office indicated that “another CME arrival overnight Friday into Saturday brings a chance of further visible aurora to northern areas of the UK, primarily Scotland.”