Northern Lights expected to be visible across Scotland tonight

The are expected to be visible across Scotland again after an amber alert was issued for Friday night.

Many spectators were left in awe last weekend after they witnessed the Aurora which was seen across the UK.

App Aurorawatch UK has issued an amber alert for today due to intense geomagnetic activity from the Sun, according to the Mirror.

According to AuroraWatch UK: “Aurora is likely to be visible by eye from Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland; possibly visible from elsewhere in the UK. Photographs of aurora are likely from anywhere in the UK.”

Earlier this week experts predicted a radiation storm was 60 per cent likely to hit the planet. There is no risk to humans, but we might see effects on satellites we rely on for communications. A solar radiation storm (also known as a Solar Proton Event or SPE) occurs after major eruptions on the Sun when protons get launched at incredibly high speeds and this time those protons are heading towards Earth.

The best time to see the northern lights is during the hours of 9pm-12pm, though you may still see an aurora in the early hours of the morning.

The Amber Alert was issued for 3.45pm on May 17.

According to Aurora Watch: “An aurora is generally not visible through cloud cover. So if it’s very cloudy, foggy or misty, you’ll probably not be able to see an aurora. Our simple check for this is: can you see the stars? If so, you’re seeing the night sky and clouds are not obstructing your view. If you can’t, then those pesky clouds are getting in the way and you won’t be seeing an aurora.”

Space Weather Live reports: “Solar radiation storms are not dangerous for people on Earth. We are protected from these storms by Earth’s magnetic field and Earth’s atmosphere. One effect that we can experience on Earth during strong solar radiation storms is an increased risk of people on transpolar flights receiving a higher dose of radiation than normal.

“Transpolar flights sometimes have to be rerouted or cancelled because of these radiation storms. Another effect is that it can cause some communication problems over the polar areas. These protons are also a radiation threat to astronauts, in particular during their extra-vehicular activities (space walks).

Lancaster University physics professor Jim Wild previously told The Mirror earlier this week that a fresh solar storm could not be ruled out. “The sun remains very active and it could fire another coronal mass ejection earthward at almost any time,” he said.

“At the moment, we know there is at least one more heading in our direction, but it’s not yet clear how whether it will hit Earth and if it does it’s unlikely to have as powerful an impact as the one that arrived on Friday. We can’t rule out more displays of the Northern Lights in the next few days, but for now it looks like last weekend’s activity was the main event.

“Events of the size we saw at the weekend typically occur every couple of decades, but that is just measure of statistical likelihood. The Sun is currently at the peak in its 11-year cycle of activity so further solar storms powerful enough to push the aurora toward the south of the UK are still very possible in the coming weeks and months.”

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