Northern Lights could be seen from Cornwall tonight. The Aurora Borealis are rarely seen in southern areas of the UK - but tonight residents could be in luck.
Last night (February 26) the skies were lit up with spectacular colours leaving people across the UK in awe. Fortunately for those who missed the show, the Met Office says the lights may be visible again this evening. The bad news is that cloudy skies may limit opportunities to catch a glimpse of the celestial exhibition.
Cloud is forecast tonight across Cornwall but the good news is that there may be a chance in the early hours of Tuesday morning (February 28). A Met Office weather map shows that at 10pm the majority of the county will be shrouded in thin cloud.
Read more: Northern Lights seen from Cornwall as rare phenomena set to return
However, those dedicated enough to stay up until 2am could see a gap in the clouds on the north coast of Cornwall. This includes in areas including St Ives, Gwithian, Newquay, Padstow, Tintagel, Boscastle, and Bude.
The head of space weather at the Met Office, Mark Gibbs, said: “The aurora will continue tonight but with cloudy skies across much of the UK, it may be too optimistic to expect clear sightings two nights in a row."
“Last night’s sighting saw the coincidence of perfect conditions, making the aurora visible on the north horizon in the south of England.
Time you could see the Northern Lights in the UK tonight
Mr Gibbs said: “If you have a clear sky tonight, head outside around midnight and have a look, but it is most likely to be visible from the west coast of Scotland.”
What causes the Northern Lights?
Although mostly associated with the northern hemisphere, the aurora can be seen at both poles of the earth. The northern version is called Aurora Borealis while the southern version is called Aurora Australis.
Although they may appear magical, the spectacular colours in the sky are caused by activity on the surface of the sun. Huge clouds of electrically-charged particles are given off by solar storms and travel millions of miles, some eventually colliding with the earth.
Some of these then become stuck in the earth's magnetic field and accelerate towards the north and south poles. What we perceive as colourful and sometimes dancing shapes are atoms and molecules in the atmosphere colliding with particles from the sun. The displays can extend from as low as 80 miles above the earth's surface to thousands of miles higher.
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2023-02-27 15:45:26Z
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