Why are we seeing the northern lights more? Reason for aurora borealis sightings in the UK

THE NORTHERN lights are a glorious display of colourful shimmers across the night sky.

Usually, people travel to northern locations such as Norway, Finland or Sweden to catch a glimpse of these lights.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis are caused by charged particles from the sun clashing with gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

Aurora refers to a natural light display, typically visible in high latitude regions such as the North and South poles.

But, areas closest to the aurora oval are the most likely places for a northern lights sighting.

However, there's no guarantee you'll see them, even after travelling all that way.

This adds to the Northern Lights' rarity and makes them a highly sought after item on one's bucket list.

The reason the lights become visible is when the solar wind, carrying the charged particles merges with the Earth's magnetic field.

Greens and pinks and purple colourings then leak from the sky and display can last for hours.

Although it must be dark and the area must have little pollution.

Why are we seeing the northern lights more?

Back in 2003 a mega geomagnetic storm happened which increased our chances in the UK of seeing the northern lights.

It usually takes a large geomagnetic storm to see the lights.

These storms come from the sun and work on a cycle of 11 years.

When the sun reaches its 11 year cycle, sunspot activity is increases which creates more Coronal Mass Ejections.

More charged particles are then sent to Earth and that triggers the light.

Since the sun is currently reaching its 11 year cycle, we are seeing more of the lights, but once the cycle passes, we will see less.

In 2024, high attitude areas such as Scotland, the North of England, the North of Wales and Northern Ireland have had the clearest displays.

However, many people have managed to see the lights all over the UK.

A Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon even said people in Scotland could be in with a chance to see the lights again this weekend.

How do I capture the best photos of the northern lights?

To see the northern lights best, first make sure you're in a low pollution area and it's night time.

Sometimes it can be difficult for the naked eye to see the lights because of light pollution or twilight.

If this is the case, your phone camera could do a better job of picking up the light.

Then, look towards the northern horizon.

If you're serious about seeing the lights, you might want to set up a tripod and use a long exposure length.

Long exposure length involves keeping your camera shutter open longer than usual.

Or, if you just have your phone on you, you can use the Live Photos feature or a long exposure app.