A coronal mass ejection, a storm on the sun which causes the Northern Lights, is expected tomorrow potentially bringing a sighting of the pretty lights – although the weather may get in the way
Brits could be given the late Christmas present of a glimpse of the Northern Lights on New Year’s Eve, should the right conditions arrive.
Millions of people have enjoyed seeing the weather phenomena this year, with people as far south as East Sussex spotting it in the skies over their homes at times. More could be coming on New Year’s Eve – although not as far south as that – as long as it is not too cloudy out.
A coronal mass ejection (CME) – a magnetic storm on the Sun which causes auroras – is expected tomorrow. As a result people in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England could get a glimpse of the incredible sight, which are usually confined to the Arctic Circle and areas far to the north.
Elizabeth J McGrath, from Colby College, told the Sun there could be more sightings next year. She said: “The sun has been very active recently, and we expect it to continue through 2025.
“Normally we only see the aurora at locations close to Earth’s magnetic north and south poles because charged particles from the sun get trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field and funneled to the poles.
“With stronger solar storms during solar maximum, there are more charged particles from the sun, and when these particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can be distributed farther from Earth’s north and south magnetic poles, reaching more southerly latitudes here on Earth.”
Unfortunately, many may be hampered from seeing the lights by the nasty weather forecast. Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, explained: “A series of low-pressure systems will track across the UK over the next couple of days bringing some potentially disruptive weather.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week, demonstrating that it is a complicated weather forecast at the moment. Although we know today and tomorrow will see heavy rain and strong winds in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, plus some snow in parts of Scotland, it’s Wednesday’s weather where there is less confidence.”
New Year’s Eve (Tuesday) sees a number of warnings for wind, snow and rain across the country, with an Amber Warning for rain in parts of Scotland.
