Met office northern lights map

Information about the auroras - what are they and when are you likely to be able to see them This is a very rare occurrence.

Plenty of people have seen great photos of the auroras, but how do you take a great photo of them? Auroras — best known in the northern hemisphere as the aurora borealis — are amongst the most dramatic and engaging sights of the natural world. For millennia they have been considered a sign from the gods or a precursor of key events of human significance. Today we can explain the origins or auroras, and even predict them, through science and careful observation. The long exposures and technical difficulties of early photography meant that it was not until that the first successful photograph of the aurora borealis from Norway was made — in black and white, of course. For the same technical reasons, it took until until the first colour photographs were made.

Met office northern lights map

Photo courtesy of Jim Henderson Photography click to enlarge What is the cause of aurora? It is easier to see the northern lights aurora borealis in the UK than you might think. All you need is a dark place, a clear sky and very good timing! The good timing is important as the northern lights are a result of a geomagnetic storm. These storms are short-lived periods of high geomagnetic activity where the Earth's magnetic field changes very quickly and strong electric currents flow high in the atmosphere. The aurora is a consequence of activity on the surface of the Sun. Occasionally there are large explosions on the Sun, and huge amounts of charged particles are thrown out into space. These particles sometimes travel towards Earth where they are captured by the Earth's magnetic field and guided towards the geomagnetic polar regions. On their way down these particles are slowed down by Earth's atmosphere, which acts as a shield. These charged particles collide with gas molecules in the atmosphere. The energy released in these collisions is given off as light. When a charged particle collides with a molecule in the atmosphere the molecule becomes excited. The excited molecule is unstable and will give up its extra energy by emitting light. The colour of the light depends on the molecules being excited. Like a sodium street light which gives off an orange light, the oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the atmosphere have their own particular colours resulting in the range of blues, greens, yellows and reds observed in the aurora.

The energy released in these collisions is given off as light.

Find out about how and why the northern lights form, and where to see them in the UK. The northern lights also known as aurora borealis appear as large areas of colour including pale green, pink, shades of red, yellow, blue and violet in the direction due north. During a weak aurora, the colours are very faint and spread out whereas an intense aurora features greater numbers of and brighter colours which can be seen higher in the sky with a distinct arc. The northern lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution. The lights generally extend from 50 miles to as high as miles above the Earth's surface. The northern lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Solar winds are charged particles that stream away from the Sun at speeds of around 1 million miles per hour.

Learning how to read the Northern Lights forecast and be patient is crucial if you want to increase your chances of seeing this elusive phenomenon. No matter how good you are at predicting the Northern Lights, forecasts can change in minutes! Before discussing how to predict the Northern Lights, I recommend that you take a look at our articles on the best time to see Northern Lights and the best places to see Northern Lights. In the Northern Lights forecast, there are three main indicators for tracking the Aurora:. The KP index is the most common way to forecast the Northern Lights, and you can use it both for short-term and long-term Aurora prediction. Here, you can learn a little more about what causes the Northern Lights. The KP-index ranges from and, generally speaking, has the following implications for the Northern Lights forecast :. KP 1 to 3 : Auroras are usually quiet and faint. The predominant color is green, and they are most visible in the northern sky at high latitudes. KP 4 to 6 : The Northern Lights are active.

Met office northern lights map

AuroraMap is a live Northern Lights forecast map. Using data from magnetometers worldwide alongside social media posts we can estimate where the Aurora Borealis could be seen. This is the 'kp' indicator. This shows the current level of aurora activity which can give an estimate of how far south aurora may be seen. The map shows recent geotagged posts from Flickr and Twitter. The green overlay displays how far south the aurora could be seen at the current Kp level. No markers today? You can browse markers from the past by selecting a range or day from this menu.

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A circumzenithal arc is an optical effect which looks like an upside-down rainbow. For many people, the aurora is a beautiful nighttime phenomenon that is worth traveling to arctic regions just to observe. When a charged particle collides with a molecule in the atmosphere the molecule becomes excited. Coronal holes are the sources of high speed solar wind streams. On their way down these particles are slowed down by Earth's atmosphere, which acts as a shield. Check the internet to look for strong geomagnetic storm activity. View all space weather articles. The energy released in these collisions is given off as light. The aurora does not need to be directly overhead but can be observed from as much as a km away when the aurora is bright and if conditions are right. The chance of big magnetic storms will be greatest around the years leading up to solar maximum and shortly afterwards.

The northern lights could illuminate skies across the UK on Saturday evening into Sunday morning, according to the Met Office.

Check for the KP Index which is on a scale of The remaining regions are much smaller and appear simpler, however, the three regions close to the eastern limb may reveal more complexity as they rotate into clear view on the disc. To enable local information add "My location" marker to map and drag its position if necessary. Video playback not supported. You may find a small headtorch helpful in the dark. When this occurs, there is no forecast lead time. The map on the right shows roughly where you might expect to see aurora based on Kp index levels. The best conditions to view the lights are when the sky is dark and clear of any clouds. The latest 24 hours of image frames comprising the Northern and Southern hemisphere loops with time-tagged file names are available: Northern , Southern The most recent Northern and Southern Hemisphere images with static file names are available: Northern , Southern Auroral data in a grided format for the entire Earth is available in compressed JSON format: The latest JSON file is available as well. Cameras may belong to AuroraWatch UK or to third parties and used with permission. Follow MetOfficeSpace. Current solar winds are near background values but faster solar winds are expected to connect with Earth perhaps as early as day 2 24 Feb but more likely by day 3 25 Feb , and persist through the remainder of the period.