Brits could be treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights tonight following three massive solar flares. NASA reported a trio of eruptions from the Sun this week, cautioning that they are causing radio blackouts across the world. The Met Office has revealed that the solar activity could mean those in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern England may catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis on Thursday evening.
Met Office Forecast
The weather service stated: "The auroral oval is likely to become active later on Thursday evening, with aurora likely to be visible in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and a slight chance of sightings from northern England, in response to a potential geomagnetic storm. The activity may last into Friday."
NASA Observations
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft, which constantly monitors the Sun, captured images of one of the three flares on Wednesday. The space agency explained: "Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts. This flare is classified as an X1.0 flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength."
Such flares are capable of producing Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs), enormous bursts of plasma and magnetic fields from the Sun's corona, the outermost part of its atmosphere. Alongside the unwanted disruption they cause, these events can also generate breathtaking aurora displays.
Geomagnetic Storm Watch
The US government's Space Weather Prediction Centre has issued a strong geomagnetic storm watch for Thursday and Friday, with three CMEs anticipated to make contact with Earth. It stated: "CMEs are likely to interact with Earth and, dependent upon the orientation of the embedded magnetic field, bring Strong Storm levels."
