‘Once-in-a-decade’ Northern Lights display could hit UK in early 2025 – four tricks for a dazzling view
THE ‘once-in-a-decade’ auroras are set to continue into 2025 after a blockbuster year for Northern Lights sightings.
The Earth saw an explosion in the frequency of Northern Lights this year, as the sun went into solar maximum.
The solar maximum is the peak of an 11-year cycle, whereby solar activity grows more intense.
There were a lot more sunspots in 2024 than scientists had predicted.
And there’s every indication that this will continue into 2025.
“The sun has been very active recently, and we expect it to continue through 2025,” Elizabeth J. McGrath, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Colby College, in the US told The Sun.
“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.
“That’s why we’ve been noticing the aurora in locations that don’t typically experience aurora (including London!).”
The peak of this decade’s solar maximum, known as Solar Cycle 25, is expected in July 2025.
But the shorter summer nights do not lend themselves to seeing the Northern Lights.
Last July, Met Office experts warned that viewing opportunities were “limited due to short hours of darkness at this time of year”.
While the nights are still long early next year, however, stargazers may have more of a chance to catch a magnificent display.
Although some sightings last only a few fleeting seconds, others can light up the sky for several hours.
Tricks to see the Northern Lights
Avoid light pollution
Avoiding light pollution, and the night glow of a city, is crucial.
It’s best to make your way to a more rural area – if you’re not based there already.
“Of course, the other complication is that in cities, light pollution makes it hard to see faint phenomena like the aurora,” added McGrath.
If you are unable to escape light pollution, fear not.
“During strong solar storms, we get more atoms in our atmosphere excited,” explained McGrath.
“So, the colors can be more intense and can be seen even in heavily light-polluted skies.”
Get a clear skyline
While escaping light pollution is important – so is having a clear view of the sky.
Avoid sitting too close to trees or buildings.
The more sky you see, the more chance you have of catching the aurora.
Snap a picture
Sometimes, aurora can appear white to the human eye, so it can help to take a quick photo on your phone to help reveal the colours.
If you’re planning on photographing the aurora properly, you’ll need a DSLR or bridge camera and ideally a tripod.
Wait it out
Experts have also advised that hopeful watchers not be too disheartened if the aurora looks dim at first.
This is because they usually brighten over the course of a few hours.
Auroras – how do they work?
Here's the official explanation from Nasa...
- The dancing lights of the auroras provide spectacular views on the ground, but also capture the imagination of scientists who study incoming energy and particles from the sun
- Auroras are one effect of such energetic particles, which can speed out from the sun both in a steady stream called the solar wind and due to giant eruptions known as coronal mass ejections or CMEs
- After a trip toward Earth that can last two to three days, the solar particles and magnetic fields cause the release of particles already trapped near Earth, which in turn trigger reactions in the upper atmosphere in which oxygen and nitrogen molecules release photons of light
- The result: the Northern and Southern lights.