Stargazers have been encouraged to keep their eyes peeled on the night sky as a red alert for the Northern Lights has been issued.
Those residing in the northernmost regions of the country have been advised to look out for the stunning spectacle, typically observed over countries such as Iceland, Canada, Norway and Finland. However, under favourable conditions, an aurora borealis can be visible further south into Europe.
Last night, our planet was struck by a potent coronal mass ejection, leading AuroraWatch UK to issue a red alert, indicating a high likelihood of sightings - provided the sky remains clear and devoid of excessive cloud cover.
While the zenith of this celestial activity occurred last night, the Met Office has suggested that certain areas of the UK may continue to witness this phenomenon tonight, including Scotland and the north. The forecaster's Northern Hemisphere aurora forecast states: "A coronal mass ejection (CME) arrived at Earth in the late afternoon on April 15.
"Its associated effects may continue into Wednesday night and may bring aurora to far northern parts of the UK and similar geomagnetic latitudes. The auroral oval will ease to background levels thereafter.", reports the Mirror.
The Northern Lights are the result of colossal solar explosions that eject vast quantities of charged particles into space, known as solar wind. These massive solar eruptions are referred to as coronal mass ejections, which propel particles away from the Sun at speeds approximating one million miles per hour, as per the Met Office.
Last year, specialists indicated a potential increase in Northern Lights sightings come 2025. Elizabeth J McGrath from Colby College remarked: "The sun has been very active recently, and we expect it to continue through 2025.
"Normally we only see the aurora at locations close to Earth's magnetic north and south poles because charged particles from the sun get trapped by the Earth's magnetic field and funnelled to the poles.
"With stronger solar storms during solar maximum, there are more charged particles from the sun, and when these particles interact with Earth's magnetic field, they can be distributed farther from Earth's north and south magnetic poles, reaching more southerly latitudes here on Earth."
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