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Look up tomorrow! Northern Lights will be visible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of Northern England as a ‘cannibal’ solar storm hits Earth – here’s how and when to see them
- Stargazers may have a chance to spot an aurora in northern Britain tomorrow
- The Northern Lights follow an unusual ‘cannibal’ solar storm, scientists warn
Lucky Brits will get the chance to see the Northern Lights tomorrow, in the middle of a ‘cannibal’ solar storm.
Stargazers across Scotland, Northern Ireland and even parts of England should expect to see the aurora, following a “dark burst” from the sun’s surface.
While coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are quite common, scientists are less familiar with the scary-sounding “cannibal” plasma wave that swept our planet last week.
This emerged when a first CME was quickly followed by another – which swept up to form a huge ball of energetic and highly magnetized gas.
While power outages and power outages may result, scientists suggest that a Northern Lights spectacle is an advantage.
Stargazers may have the chance to spot an aurora in northern Britain tonight and tomorrow. Pictured: Scottish Highlands in March this year
Yesterday, Sean Elvidge, Associate Professor of Space Environment at the University of Birmingham, told MailOnline: ‘These storms are manifesting as large disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field, potentially causing various space weather effects.
‘On the one hand, they can lead to radio outages, disrupting the communication systems on our planet. On the other hand, these storms can produce awe-inspiring displays of natural beauty known as auroras.”
While geomagnetic activity may be “unstable” tonight, the Met Office expects it to increase to “minor/moderate” tomorrow.
Forecasts show the CME may blow toward Earth during the daylight hours of July 20, with auroras likely between 9 p.m. GMT and midnight.
It is possible for the Northern Lights to be visible from some regions of Northern England, as well as from all over Scotland and Northern Ireland.
But thanks to overnight cloud cover and fewer hours of darkness, the Met Office has said it’s difficult to pinpoint specific cities.
After that, geomagnetic activity is likely to decrease, but there is a chance that auroras can still be seen in the northernmost areas of the UK on Saturday evening.
Predictions show a CME may blow toward Earth during the daylight hours of July 20, with auroras likely between 9pm GMT and midnight (pictured at noon on July 21)
Four days ago, a so-called “dark burst” was launched alongside a CME. Then, 24 hours later, a second, faster CME erupted from a separate, much larger sunspot (pictured)
Professor Don Pollacco, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, told MailOnline: ‘Predicting exactly where you might see the Northern Lights is difficult as conditions can change quickly.
“However, one thing is for sure, and that’s that you probably won’t see them from a brightly lit city environment – you’ll need to go to a dark place and look towards the northern horizon (look for the North Star).
‘So you prefer to be in the countryside, away from street lights. Of course it has to clear too!’
To see an aurora, it doesn’t have to be directly overhead, and can be seen from up to 1,000 km away, according to the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
However, those south of the world in Australia and New Zealand are unlikely to see the aurora.
This is quite common, as auroras are most likely to be seen from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.
This is because the energy and small particles of solar activity travel along the magnetic field lines to the Earth’s poles, so they appear strongest there.
The phenomenon is only seen from further away when this activity is particularly strong.