by This winter is set to be a historic one for seeing the northern lights, with scientists predicting the best views of the aurora borealis in 20 years.
Earlier this month Aurora hunters were welcomed to Bonfire Night displays across Scotland and England, with sightings reported as far south as Stonehenge in Wiltshire and parts of Wales.
“This was caused by a solar storm that caused a geomagnetic storm, which gives some of the brightest and most unusual shapes and moves the ear oval further south,” said Dr Maria Walach, an astrophysicist working as part of the AuroraWatch UK team at Lancaster University, the Telegraph said.
It looks like the activity will continue in the coming weeks, according to an expert the social media track a series of solar storms currently heading towards the Earth’s atmosphere. The sun is expected to reach its “solar maximum,” or the peak of its activity cycle, between January and October 2024.
Despite their invisible nature, there are parts of the UK every year where you can see colorful displays during the autumn and winter months. There are seven International Dark Sky Bases in Britain – ensuring that viewing is not interrupted. Here, we look at what causes this phenomenon and where and when you can enjoy their joy.
What are the Northern Lights?
A light display that can emit many colors, including red, blue, yellow, green and orange, in shapes that shift and change.
They are formed by fast-moving, electrically charged particles originating from both the sun and the Earth’s atmosphere. When these particles collide they light up. These charged particles are blown by the ‘solar wind’ towards an area of the Earth’s atmosphere called the magnetosphere, also filled with charged particles.
The Earth’s magnetic field drives the particles towards the planet’s poles and the variety of colors is created by gases in our atmosphere. In the northern hemisphere they are known as the aurora borealis and form an oval-shaped halo.
The lights in the southern hemisphere are called the aurora australis. Scientists have found that, in most cases, the northern and southern counterparts are mirror images, occurring at the same time with similar shapes and colors.
Neal Brown, a former NASA scientist, told Telegraph Travel that the phenomenon occurs about 60 miles above the Earth’s surface. “They are storms from the sun that take about two days to reach Earth and interact with Earth’s magnetic fields and its atmosphere. The solar storm is directed in along the magnetic field lines to give an electrical discharge, somewhat like a neon sign, to the atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Where are you most likely to see them in the UK?
Scotland offers the best chance. The North of Scotland is at the same latitude as Nunivak Island in Alaska and Stavanger in Norway, two of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights. The best conditions are available in the most remote areas, such as the Highlands or its remote islands.
Dark Sky Reserves, or similar areas free from light pollution, are preferred. In Scotland, they include Galloway Forest Park, which was named the UK’s first Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Association in 2009 (it was the fourth in the world). Few people live in its 300 square miles of forest and hills, so nights are really dark. It’s a 90-minute drive from Glasgow and can be reached fairly easily from central Scotland and northern England. The nearest town, Ayr, is served by bus and rail links. A train between Glasgow Central and Ayr takes around an hour.
The skies over Thom an Saoil and Glen Livhta in Moray earned Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park, and the most northerly area in the world. There is also a Dark Sky Island in Scotland, Islean Coll.
In addition, there is a Dark Sky Town in the village of Moffat in Dunpris and Galloway. Elsewhere, try Kintyre, Loch Abar in the west Highlands, Assynt in the north west Highlands or Skye.
Where else can I see them?
There are areas across the UK where light pollution is lower. If the conditions appear all over the country, go to one of these. Dark sky reserves and Dark Sky Parks in the UK include:
There are also several Dark Sky Discovery sites, including:
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Kielder Forest Observatory, Northumberland
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Loch Wimbleball, Exmoor, Somerset
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WaterWorks Nature Reserve, Glendale Regional Park, Essex
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Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Hampshire
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Mountain Centre, Libanus, Wales
These sites are not far from the worst light pollution, offer good views of the sky and are well accessible to the public.
Sights in the south of England are rare, but can still be spectacular. Aurora trackers have photos of displays in places like Cornwall, Great Britain, Essex and Jersey.
When can I see them?
In the UK, the nights are too mild during the summer, so the best chance is from September to April, between 10pm and 2am. The darker the skies, the better, so winter is ideal for clear views. But autumn and spring can also be good viewing periods.
How can I find out when the lights will appear?
AuroraWatch UK, run by Lancaster University’s Department of Physics, provides up-to-date information on this.
Did I really see the Northern Lights?
The light from the moon or the rising sun reflected through clouds can be mistaken for the lights. AuroraWatchUK offers the following tips: “The light reflected from the clouds is often orange, as that is the color of many street lights. A better guide is that if you can see stars in a region of the sky, you are not looking at a cloud. On very rare occasions a very bright aurora may be seen through thin clouds.”
How can I prepare?
Off the Map Travel, a tour operator that offers adventurous aurora hunting trips, offers the following advice:
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Cover yourself properly with well-insulated and waterproof clothing. Its risks are not standing outside in the middle of the night for long periods and you must avoid the dangers of hypothermia.
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Use a red torch to find your way around – bright lights from standard torches will prevent you from understanding the lights if they come on.
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Take a camera. But don’t spend all the time behind your camera – appreciate the view with the naked eye.
For more inspiration, read our guide to planning the ultimate holiday to see the Northern Lights here.
