A hat-trick of Aurora displays in Donegal
The Inishowen Peninusula in County Donegal has enjoyed a Northern Lights display for the third consecutive night.
The trademark green and purple hues associated with the Aurora Borealis once again appeared on the northern horizon at Fort Dunree, near Buncrana, shortly after 11.00 p.m. on Saturday night.
The aurora typically forms 80 to 500 km above Earth’s surface and is the result of electrons colliding with the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the northern lights were being pulled further south in the latitudes due to “a coronal hole high-speed stream — winds from a cooler, less dense area on the sun’s surface.”
A live webstream, hosted from Ireland’s most northerly point by Adam Porter Photography on YouTube, captured the Aurora, considered one of nature‘s most impressive displays.
Sightings of the aurora are usually confined to regions near the Antarctic and Arctic, but recent increased solar storm activity has resulted in the displays extending into the mid-latitudes.
While Ireland is not known as a prime location for aurora viewing, with the right conditions and location, it is possible to see the Northern Lights, especially during the months of October to April, with the best chances on the west and north coasts due to lower light pollution.
The aurora is most commonly visible between 9:00 PM and 2:00 AM.
As the most northerly point in Ireland, the Inishowen Peninsula in Donegal is a prime location for viewing the aurora.
The Northern Lights were at their brightest during the early hours of Saturday morning, as evidenced in the below video.
