An alert has been issued for the Northern Lights on Thursday, October 10 by the Met Office. The phenomenon could be visible over the coming nights due to atmospheric conditions. The Met Office explained that a ‘coronal mass ejection from the sun’ is moving towards Earth, making the Northern Lights potentially visible across the UK.
Typically more visible in the north, the aurora could also be seen in southern parts of the country. The Space Weather Prediction Centre mentioned that coronal mass ejections are significant expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the Sun’s corona. The experts predict that the lights might be most prominent in Scotland around 1 am on Friday, with another potential sighting at around 11 pm on Friday.
The Met Office website describes the Northern Lights as appearing in various colours like pale green, pink, red, yellow, blue, and violet towards the north. Best viewed in darkness away from light pollution, the lights extend from 50 to 400 miles above the Earth’s surface. The phenomenon stems from solar activity resulting from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.
The experts advise looking north in the coming nights to potentially spot the Northern Lights. While sightings are more likely in northern areas, there is a slight chance of seeing them in the south too. Stay tuned for updates as the aurora may continue to be visible in the upcoming nights, providing a captivating celestial display for observers across the country.