Aurora borealis hunters are advised to keep their eyes to the skies this week as solar activity picks up.
The northern lights could be making an appearance tonight (Monday), Tuesday and Wednesday thanks to the arrival of a sequence of coronal mass ejections.
The G1-G2 (Minor-Moderate) geomagnetic storm conditions are not uncommon, but if the conditions are right they may make the aurora visible from further south in the northern hemisphere.
The UK Met Office is forecasting a a chance of visible aurora to areas such Scotland, or potential northern England.
“Any enhanced aurora is likely to continue into Wednesday 14 Feb, before easing,” they said.
Donegal, due to its northerly location and exceptional dark skies, makes it a hotspot for viewing the phenomenon.
However, no matter how strong the activity is, it all depends on cloud cover.
The lights can usually be seen best from the north coast, which has the advantage of facing the clear Atlantic and being furthest away from lit-up areas. The advice is to look for a glow in the north. The amazing scenes can be visible to the naked eye as a glow on the northern horizon, and with the right camera settings, the colour can be picked up with stunning results.
Featured photo: Northern Lights at Back Strand Falcarragh in September 2023 – @arnoldshotel
