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11th May 2024
01:45pm BST
The Northern Lights are set to be visible in Ireland again tonight, giving astronomy enthusiasts another opportunity to see the incredible phenomenon.
People across the country were treated to a dazzling display on Friday (May 10) as the lights - which are also known as the Aurora Borealis - appeared bright in the sky.
And for anyone who missed out on seeing them, there could be another chance tonight (Saturday, May 11).
The lights were visible in Ireland because of a severe geomagnetic storm, which is one of the biggest in two decades.
It hit Earth in the form of five coronal mass ejections (CMEs) from the Sun.
Wow wow wow! Can be seen with the naked eye now. Go outside and take a look at the Northern Lights. pic.twitter.com/dU5gEorlTg
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) May 10, 2024
It’s still going and look at it reflecting on the River Barrow as I head to the leaba. pic.twitter.com/cP4bgFcNWW
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) May 11, 2024
Northern Lights in Portmarnock, Dublin tonight taken by staff member⤵️ pic.twitter.com/J0CVVHNxnm
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) May 10, 2024
The Northern Lights over BrayHead!
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) May 11, 2024
This photo by
Dara Ó hAnnaidh pic.twitter.com/x7lsArwdZB
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center classified the storm as a level G4 event, the first time it has issued this warning since 2005.
And the storm is going to last into Saturday evening, meaning the Northern Lights could be visible to many in the Emerald Isle again tonight, although weather experts have said it probably will not be to the same extent as yesterday.
In a video update posted on Twitter, Alan Reilly of Carlow Weather said: "So, there is a chance again tonight to see the Northern Lights.
"It's still a very strong aurora. At the moment, people in New Zealand are getting some great photos of it.
"Will that hold? [It will] probably still be strong. Whether it will be as strong as last night, hard to know.
"But cloud will be a problem for many areas in the West especially and some parts of the South again, I'm afraid. [There will be] even some showers in parts of the West."
An update on the chances of seeing the Northern Lights tonight and a look at the forecast tomorrow and Monday. pic.twitter.com/CEM4k8PaWj
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) May 11, 2024
He added that if you have clear skies, the advice he issued ahead of Friday night stands.
"Look to the North, get away from light and use your smartphone to long exposure mode - figure out how to do that on your camera.
"It was definitely visible last night with the naked eye but it's not always like that. It's very very rarely that strong."
For those that missed out on the Northern Lights last night there is a chance they will be visible again tonight but some more cloud cover around tonight, especially in the West and Southwest 😬 pic.twitter.com/0gpo0jqwor
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) May 11, 2024
Met Éireann meteorologist Siobhán Ryan echoed Reilly's comments, telling RTÉ that the most likely areas to see the Northern Lights this evening will be in the North and East of Ireland, where conditions will be clearer.
"Even here in Dublin there's an outside chance of witnessing the Northern Lights, so best of luck everyone," she also said.
Ryan also stated that the best chance to see the celestial phenomenon on Saturday will be in the early evening and early night, as opposed to closer to midnight which was the case on Friday.
Did you miss them last night? Another chance this evening, but read the piece for details! ⬇️ https://t.co/PgGJphbq0B
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) May 11, 2024
The aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, occur when electrically-charged particles emanate from solar storms and eventually collide with the Earth’s atmosphere.
Increased solar flare activity sends out electrically charged particles from the sun which become trapped in by the Earth’s magnetic field.
These trapped particles then smash into atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere, heating them up in process – which causes the bright colours we know as the Northern Lights.
The lights are usually visible from countries closest to the Arctic, such as Canada, Iceland and Norway.
But when there is particularly large amount of solar activity, they can be visible further south than usual.
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