How to see the Northern Lights in the UK tonight

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, were spotted as far south as Cornwall in the UK on Sunday night and will likely be visible again on Monday night. Here’s how to spot them, says a Stargazing at Home columnist. Abigail Bill

On Sunday evening, the northern lights, or northern lights, were visible farther south than usual, and could be seen as far south as Cornwall, in the southwest of England. These manifestations of green and red shimmering glow in the night sky, created by solar particles, are simply amazing. But if you missed them on Sunday, don’t worry, there’s still a chance to see them this week, especially on Monday.

What is Northern Lights?

They are generated by the solar wind, a stream of charged particles moving from the sun’s outer layer, or corona. Bursts of solar wind, called solar flares, crash into the Earth’s magnetic field, which acts as a shield around the planet, deflecting most of the particles. But at the weakest points around the poles, some of them penetrate into the upper atmosphere, where they collide with gas molecules and excite or activate them. When these molecules lose energy again, they emit photons of light, creating auroras.

The type of excited molecule, as well as the height of the collision, determine the color of the aurora. The most common are pale yellow and green from oxygen molecules at an altitude of 120 to 180 kilometers. Less common are red auroras generated by oxygen at about 200 km above the earth, while red-violet auroras are due to nitrogen below 100 km.

When is the best time to see the northern lights?

If the solar wind is active, the aurora can be seen as soon as it gets dark.

Where will the Northern Lights be seen tonight?

The stronger the solar flare, the further south they will be visible. Particles take about a day to reach the Earth, so we can predict a day before how strong the northern lights will be. The UK Met Office says the lights are likely to be visible again on Monday evening, possibly even in central or southern England. Until the end of the week, keep an eye out for forecasts like the Met Office and other aurora prediction apps.

When should you look for light?

There are sites and organizations that follow the sun and can give you a forecast for the next day or even a week. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, for example, provides observational data for the past three days, as well as 30-minute forecasts of solar activity. This is measured using the planetary K-index, or Kp, on a scale of 0 to 9. The higher the value, the more active. To see the lights in central England with the naked eye, you usually need a Kp value of 8. The free AuroraWatch UK app also has half-hour northern lights forecasts and you can set up an email alert to make sure you’re ready for any celestial lights show.

How can you see the northern lights?

Find a dark place as far away from any light pollution as possible. If you don’t know where to go, find a dark place and look at the northern horizon. Then you need to wait and let your eyes get used to it. But don’t expect auroras in the stunning vibrant colors shown in the photos. When you look at them with the naked eye, the auroras are much subtler and can be difficult to spot on the first try. If you have a camera with a digital display, looking through the display can help make sure you’re looking at the auroras, as they can sometimes appear greenish white to the eye, but very green in the camera. Also keep an eye on the weather forecast as you won’t see the Northern Lights if you have cloudy skies.

How to photograph the display

Most smartphone cameras will be able to capture the green hues of the Northern Lights. If you have a digital camera and a tripod, try using a slow shutter speed with a shutter speed of a few seconds.