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Likelihood of seeing Northern Lights again tonight after cosmic phenomenon yesterday left Brits stunned

Home> News

Updated 13:41 11 Oct 2024 GMT+1Published 10:58 11 Oct 2024 GMT+1

Likelihood of seeing Northern Lights again tonight after cosmic phenomenon yesterday left Brits stunned

The aurora borealis was visible to thousands of UK dwellers last night (10 October)

Rhianna Benson

Rhianna Benson

The Instagram feeds of thousands of UK dwellers were littered last night with vibrant snaps of the famous aurora borealis.

As such, many of those who might have enjoyed an early night and missed last night's magical spectacle have frantically been Googling whether or not they'll get a second chance to see it.

The lights were visible due to a geomagnetic storm (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)
The lights were visible due to a geomagnetic storm (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

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Known more commonly as the Northern Lights, these magical spectacles are usually only visible to individuals living in very specific corners of the globe.

The natural light display - which sees colourful rays, spirals and explosive flickers painted across the night sky - is usually only seen in high-latitude regions.

For those living in the Arctic and Antarctic it's an almost daily occurrence, and a pretty regular sight to those who are based in Scandinavia.

Caused by collisions between charged particles from the sun and molecules in Earth's upper atmosphere, only on the oddest of occasions are they visible to those living in the UK and Ireland.

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Opportunities to see this phenomenon are super infrequent, however, man-made light pollution from towns and cities prohibits the vast splashes of pinks and greens to be seen by the naked eye.

Only recently have we Brits, Welsh, Scots and Irish dwellers been lucky enough to see the lights more vividly and more frequently.

The lights are mainly visible in high-latitude areas (Andi Edwards/Getty)
The lights are mainly visible in high-latitude areas (Andi Edwards/Getty)

Back in May, social media was abashed with images of the cosmological phenomenon panning the dark night sky because the sun took a more active role in the molecular cycle.

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The sun's cycle lasts for roughly 11 years whilst its magnetic fields clip, sometimes in setting off solar flares and solar storms, which make the lights brighter.

Such was the case last night (Thursday 10 October), when a raging geomagnetic storm in the earth's atmosphere meant that many residents from up and down the country were able to see the Northern Lights without any astrological equipment whatsoever.

Sadly, however, experts have now said that the likelihood of us catching another Northern Lights show over the weekend is almost impossible to determine.

That's because whether or not the 'solar maximum' will end and the solar activity start is difficult to ascertain.

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The Met Office says we're unlikely to see the spectacle again tonight (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The Met Office says we're unlikely to see the spectacle again tonight (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

According to the Met Office's latest space weather, the chances of seeing it again remain 'initially', but will start 'gradually easing' from today, 'becoming increasingly confined to far northern geomagnetic latitudes by October 13.'

The fact that notable rainfall is also predicted across Scotland and Northern Ireland means that it's unlikely we'll see the lights through the dark clouds above.

Don't worry if you missed it, however - you can always stick a pic from Google on your Insta story and pretend you were up?

Featured Image Credit: Jim Wood/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images/Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Topics: Weather, News, UK News, Space

Rhianna Benson
Rhianna Benson

Rhianna is an Entertainment Journalist at LADbible Group, working across LADbible, UNILAD and Tyla. She has a Masters in News Journalism from the University of Salford and a Masters in Ancient History from the University of Edinburgh. She previously worked as a Celebrity Reporter for OK! and New Magazines, and as a TV Writer for Reach PLC.

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@rhiannaBjourno

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