Northern Lights could light up Irish skies again tonight

'The stats are looking really, really, really good.'

This year has seen an onslaught of solar flares and coronal mass ejections that have paraded our skies in places not often treated to the illuminating spectacle.

Earlier this year in May, the aurora could be seen across the country and as far south as central Europe.

And now, Ireland could be in for another display of the aurora borealis, according to Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather.

Charger those camera batteries! A chance of Northern Lights tonight and could be a very strong display. Once it’s fully dark start looking out for them. pic.twitter.com/kvIOlwCSMK

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) October 10, 2024

In a video post, he told his followers: "We could be in for a display of the Northern Lights. Now with these things, it's never certain. It can be big disappointment.

"But at the moment, the stats are looking really, really, really good. It could be close to what we saw in May - best case scenario. We have to wait and see."

As for specific advice on witnessing the phenomena, he said: "Remember long exposure mode on your camera. Keep it steady and pointed north generally. But if it's like May, it'll be just look up.

"And you could see it with your naked eye if it's strong enough, but you need to be in a dark area away from lights and you need to let your eyes adjust to it.

"So, if you're looking for Northern Lights and you've never seen them, tonight could be your opportunity.

"The weather is not going to be a problem for most areas. A few parts of the north could see some patchy cloud, a little bit of cloud around here and there."

One of the most incredible spectacles the natural world has to offer, the aurora borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, occur when electrically-charged particles are given off by solar storms and eventually collide with the earth’s atmosphere.

Speaking to The Guardian, Silvia Dalla, a professor of solar physics at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “To maximise your chances of viewing the aurora, the sky needs to be as clear as possible. Look northwards and try to find a place with dark skies, ideally away from a city where light pollution can interfere with the view.”

Increased solar flare activity causes coronal mass ejections (CMEs), that send out electrically charged particles from the sun which become trapped in by the Earth’s magnetic field.

Once trapped, the particles then heat up atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere by smashing into them, resulting in the bright colours we know as the Northern Lights.

The aurora is 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.

For best viewing of the aurora borealis, you'll need clear, dark skies relying on a lack of moonlight as well as minimal cloud clover.

If you're still struggling to get a clear sight of the lights, advice follows that a phone camera can help locate them as they detect the colourful display more effectively than the human eye.

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