Scotland is set to be dazzled by “once in a decade” Northern Lights displays in the New Year thanks to a rare solar event. The phenomenon is predicted to enhance the visibility of the Aurora Borealis, according to the Met Office.
Scientists have indicated that Scots have a decent likelihood of catching sight of the awe-inspiring spectacle early in 2025. NASA recently announced that the sun has reached “solar maximum,” which could continue for the next year and keep the Aurora lighting up our skies.
This is when solar flares and other activity are at their highest, leading to more frequent sightings of the Northern Lights. However, once this period ends, astrologists predict a decrease in solar activity until it reaches a “solar minimum”, during which sightings of the phenomenon become much less frequent.
“During solar maximum, the number of sunspots, and therefore, the amount of solar activity, increases,” said Jamie Favors, director, Space Weather Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“This increase in activity provides an exciting opportunity to learn about our closest star — but also causes real effects at Earth and throughout our solar system.”
Recently, the lights have been spotted more often in Scottish regions where they’re typically a rarity, prompting locals from Ayrshire to West Lothian to post their impressive photos on social media.
This surge in solar activity is expected to last for the next year, giving Scots ample chances to see the celestial show if they’ve missed it over the past ten years when it was at its most visible in the UK.
For the best seats in the house, the north of Scotland remains the ideal spot, with the Shetland Islands considered the top area for viewing the Northern Lights in the UK.
What’s more, the cheapest places in the world to see the Northern Lights have been named, and the top two are both situated in Scotland.
Krista Hammond, Space Weather Manager at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), said it is “not possible to know exactly when the number of sunspots peaked until some time after it has happened”.
She added: “While it’s not possible to know precisely what this means for individual Earth-directed solar events, it does mean there will likely be further chances of aurora visibility in the UK in the coming months.”
The breathtaking colours in the sky are the result of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which occur when solar particles enter earth’s atmosphere. These ejections, typically composed of nitrogen and other gases, emit the vibrant and luminous lights known as the aurora borealis when they burn up in the atmosphere.
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our newsletterhere.