The Northern Lights
The Northern Lights captured the attention of thousands in Ireland this summer with their repeated appearances and they may be visible again this weekend.
Astronomy Ireland said a “major aurora” is due to be visible in Irish skies and urged anyone who witnesses them to submit the pictures to their magazine.
A Met Éireann spokesperson said that it is unlikely for the aurora borealis to be visible on Friday night as the conditions remain significantly cloudy.
“Tomorrow night Northern Lights could be visible away from Dublin and Ulster,” they said.
“Conditions will be clearing out and improving from the Southwest overnight Saturday and there will be some clear skies in the Midlands, the southern and western regions. So aurora borealis could be seen at this point.”
They said that in order to have the best chance of seeing the northern lights, stargazers should avoid cloudy conditions and light pollution found in major cities.
The forecaster noted that parts of the west and north coast of Ireland offer the greatest chance of seeing the display.
A number of forecast services and mobile applications provide forecasts of Auroras so as to capture them when they are at their best.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US (NOAA) offers a thirty-minute forecast and the mobile application My Aurora Application and Forecast provides time-sensitive updates on when to see the northern lights.
The announcement of the appearance of Northern Lights can only be done with relatively short notice, usually no more than 48 hours in advance.
Those keen to catch a glimpse of the shades of green and purple dancing across the sky are most likely to catch the spectacle late at night – usually from 11pm to 12am onwards.
The Northern Lights are also expected to be visible in the UK this evening due to recent solar flares.
Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly watches the Sun, captured a huge flare – a powerful burst of energy – on Thursday.
This flare is classified as an X9.0 flare. According to Nasa, X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
