It feels like only yesterday we were talking about the UK having sightings of the Northern Lights. But, as we’re heading straight into the Solar Maximum there’s no surprise they have returned…

If you haven’t heard of the Solar Maximum you can learn more here.

A CME hit Earth’s magnetic field on Sept. 12th (03:50 UTC). It was debris from a dark plasma explosion on the sun 4 days ago. The impact sparked a G3-class geomagnetic storm.

The storm is subsiding now, but it’s due to flare up again today and further into the weekend when one to two more CMEs are expected to arrive.

The first and largest of the CMEs is expected to arrive on Sept. 13th, followed a day later by the second. These impacts should be effective because Earth’s magnetic field is already vibrating from the strong (G3-class) geomagnetic storm of Sept. 12th. Another pair of CME strikes could extend the storm through the weekend.

Can I see the aurora again in the UK tonight?

Following this activity alert, the Met Office have said: ‘the aurora is potentially visible as far south as northern England and Northern Ireland, and perhaps some northern coastal areas of North Wales and Norfolk.

With ‘clear skies for most overnight’, conditions look to be ideal for another sighting. The best chance to see them are between the hours of 11pm and 5am.

Tips for spotting and capturing pictures of the Northern Lights in the UK!

• Those hoping to catch sight of the lights this evening should look to the northern horizon. “If you’ve got a clear view of the horizon, you’ve got a chance,” according to a Met Office meteorologist.
• Head to an area of low light pollution without any large towns or cities on your northern horizon.
• The best places to view the northern lights in the UK are along the coastlines that have a clear view of north, good examples are Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Lindisfarne, and Whitley Bay down to Whitby and Scarborough on the east coast, it is also often spotted in north Norfolk. Anglesey the Lake District and Barrow-in-Furness are great places in the west coast. Our National Parks inland like Northumberland, the Pennines, Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and the Peak District are also great places away from light pollution.
• Using a camera will also increase your chances, cameras can capture long exposure images which capture more light than our eyes and create a more detailed image of what you’re seeing, so if the aurora is faint, a long exposure will make those colours stronger.

To take photographs of the northern lights you will need to set your camera to Manual, Exposure Time to 20 seconds, ISO 1600 and Focal Aperture as low as possible, don’t forget your tripod. Modern mobile phones are also becoming increasingly adept at taking northern lights images, so give it a try.

What does this mean for The Aurora Zone?

With towns all over the UK spotting last night and more into the weekend can you imagine how likely you’re to see them up in the Aurora Zone?

The Aurora Zone is a band that stretches between 66°N and 69°N covering parts of Finland, Norway, Iceland and Sweden.

The Aurora Zone is so popular for Northern Lights displays because of its relation to the North Pole. When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles travel down our magnetic field lines emanating from our poles and causes the reaction filling our skies. The closer you are to this the better the display will be.

Our trips are available all over the Aurora Zone, offering a variety of locations, accommodation and activities. We have so many happy customers who travel with us, last season we recorded an 85% success rate of those who saw the Aurora. Pair that with more and more activity we’re thinking this number might be a bit higher…

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