This winter will be a historic one for seeing the Northern Lights, with scientists predicting the best Northern Lights sightings in two decades.
Earlier this month, Aurora hunters were treated to displays on Bonfire Night in Scotland and England, with sightings also reported as far south as Stonehenge in Wiltshire and in parts of Wales.
“This happened as a result of a solar storm that created a geomagnetic storm, which brings with it some of the brightest and most unusual shapes and moves the aurora oval further south,” says Dr. Maria Walach, an astrophysicist who works as part from the AuroraWatch UK team at Lancaster University. told De Telegraaf.
The activity appears likely to continue in the coming weeks, an expert said social media follow a series of solar storms currently heading towards Earth’s atmosphere. The sun is expected to reach its ‘solar maximum’, or the peak of its activity cycle, between January and October 2024.
Despite their elusive nature, there are parts of Britain where you can see colorful displays every year during the autumn and winter months. Britain is home to seven international Dark Sky Reserves, which ensure undisturbed viewing. Here we look at what causes this phenomenon and where and when you can enjoy their splendor.
What are the Northern Lights?
A light display that can shimmer many colors, including red, blue, yellow, green and orange, in shifting and changing shapes.
They are formed by fast-moving, electrically charged particles that come from both the Sun and Earth’s atmosphere. When these particles collide, they light up. These charged particles are blown by a ‘solar wind’ into a region of Earth’s atmosphere known as the magnetosphere, also filled with charged particles.
Earth’s magnetic field drives the particles to the planet’s poles and the variety of colors are created by gases in our atmosphere. In the Northern Hemisphere they are called the aurora borealis and form an oval halo.
The lights in the Southern Hemisphere are known as the aurora australis. Scientists have discovered that in most cases the northern and southern counterparts are mirror images, occurring at the same time with similar shapes and colors.
Neal Brown, a former NASA scientist, told Telegraph Travel that the phenomenon occurs about 60 miles above the Earth’s surface. “They are storms from the sun that take about two days to reach Earth and interact with the Earth’s magnetic fields and atmosphere. The solar storm is guided inward along the magnetic field lines and produces an electrical discharge, a bit like a neon sign, with the atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere.”
Where in Britain are you most likely to see them?
Scotland provides the best chance. Northern Scotland is on the same latitude as Nunivak Island in Alaska and Stavanger in Norway, two of the world’s best places to see the Northern Lights. The most isolated areas, such as the Highlands or the remote islands, offer the best conditions.
Dark Sky Reserves, or similar places without light pollution, are best. In Scotland they include Galloway Forest Park, which the International Dark Sky Association named in 2009 as Britain’s first Dark Sky Park (it was the world’s fourth). Few people live in the 300 square kilometers of forest and hills, so the nights are very dark. It is a 90-minute drive from Glasgow and quite easy to reach from central Scotland and northern England. The nearest town, Ayr, is served by bus and train connections. A train between Glasgow Central and Ayr takes about an hour.
The skies over Tomintoul and Glenlivet in Moray earned the area the honor of Scotland’s second International Dark Sky Park, and the world’s most northerly. There is also a Dark Sky Island in Scotland, the Isle of Coll.
Additionally, there is a Dark Sky Town in the village of Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway. Elsewhere, try Kintyre, Lochaber in the western Highlands, Assynt in the north-west Highlands or the Isle of Skye.
Where else can I see them?
There are areas in Britain with less light pollution. If conditions are such that the Northern Lights are visible across the country, head to one of these. Dark Sky Reserves and Dark Sky Parks in the UK include:
There are also a number of Dark Sky Discovery sites including:
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Kielder Forest Observatory, Northumberland
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Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor, Somerset
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WaterWorks Nature Reserve, Lee Valley Regional Park, Essex
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Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Hampshire
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Mountain Centre, Libanus, Wales
These locations are far away from the worst light pollution, offer good sight lines to the sky and are easily accessible to the public.
Sightings in southern England are rarer, but can still be breathtaking. Aurora hunters have photographed displays in places such as Cornwall, South Wales, Essex and Jersey.
When can I see them?
In Britain, nights are too light in summer, so the best chance is from September to April, between 10pm and 2am. The darker the sky the better, so winter is ideal for clear vision. But autumn and spring can also be good viewing periods.
How do I find out when the lights may appear?
AuroraWatch UK, which is run by Lancaster University’s Physics Department, provides up-to-date information on this.
Will I really see the Northern Lights?
The light of the moon or rising sun reflected from clouds can be mistaken for lights. AuroraWatchUK offers the following tips: “The light reflected from clouds is often orange, as that is the color of many street lights. A better guideline is that if you can see stars in one part of the sky, you are not looking at clouds. On very rare occasions it may be possible to see extraordinarily bright auroras through thin clouds.”
How can I prepare?
Off the Map Travel, a tour operator that offers adventure aurora hunting tours, offers the following advice:
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Equip yourself well with well-insulated and waterproof clothing. Standing outside for long periods of time in the middle of the night is not without risks and you should avoid the dangers of hypothermia
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Use a red flashlight to find your way. The bright light of standard flashlights prevents you from fully appreciating the lights when they do appear.
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Take a camera. But don’t spend all your time behind your camera; just enjoy the naked eye view.
For more inspiration, read our guide to planning the ultimate Northern Lights holiday here.