Sat Oct 12 03:44:12 UTC 2024: ## Spectacular Northern Lights Show Could Repeat Friday Night
**LONDON** – After dazzling skywatchers across the UK, including as far south as Kent, on Thursday night, the spectacular Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) could make a return performance on Friday.
The vibrant curtains of color are a result of solar activity, specifically coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which release superheated plasma from the sun. These particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, triggering geomagnetic storms. Some of these particles are drawn towards Earth’s poles, where they energize atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, leading to the luminous displays.
While the phenomenon typically occurs at high latitudes, stronger CMEs can push the aurora further south. This week, the sun is at the peak of its 11-year activity cycle, meaning more CMEs are occurring, increasing the chances of seeing the aurora.
The UK Met Office predicts the possibility of aurora sightings on Friday, though they will be most likely in Scotland, with cloudier skies potentially hindering visibility in other areas. The Space Weather Prediction Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration suggests the aurora could be visible across large parts of North America, including Canada and parts of the northern US.
For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the aurora, astronomer Jake Foster of the Royal Observatory Greenwich recommends getting away from light pollution and using a long exposure or night mode on a camera to capture the colors. “Activity can noticeably increase and decrease over the course of just minutes, so a bit of patience may be rewarded,” Foster added.
While the Northern Lights are more likely to be visible in the northern hemisphere, the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) are also possible, though sightings are predicted to reduce on Friday and be mostly confined to high latitudes by 13 October.
First Piper 