The Northern Lights are set to make a spectacular return over Scotland this autumn, thanks to a “once in a decade” event, according to recent reports from the Met Office.
Scientists have revealed that this occurrence will boost the chances of Scots witnessing the Aurora. The breathtaking colours in the sky is 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.
Due to heightened solar activity, the lights have been appearing more frequently in parts of Scotland where they are not usually seen, with people across the country taking to social media in recent months to share some of their stunning captures.
This period of increased activity is expected to continue for the next 12 months, meaning Scots still have plenty opportunities if they missed the sky spectacular over the last decade when it has been its most active across the UK.
Those in the north of the country continue to be in the prime location for viewing this spectacle in the UK, with Shetland being the top spot.
Krista Hammond, Space Weather Manager at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), said: “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.
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“While we’re in the solar maximum phase now, which could last a year, it’s not possible to know exactly when the number of sunspots peaked until some time after it has happened.”
When the sun reaches its solar maximum, it means that solar flares and other activity is at its highest, and is the reason that aurora sightings have been more regular this year.
However, once the ‘solar maximum’ period concludes, astrologists predict that solar activity will diminish until it reaches a ‘solar minimum’. This is the point when sightings of the phenomenon become much less frequent for a brief period.
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