Northern Lights viewing opportunity in Ireland on Sunday night
There is a moderate chance that the Northern Lights will be seen in the Irish sky on Sunday night into early Monday morning.
North Ulster is best placed to see the Aurora Borealis, with viewing opportunities possible further south due to clearing skies.
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.
Sightings of the auroras are usually confined to regions near the Antarctic and Arctic, but recent increased solar storm activity is resulting resulted in the displays extending into the mid latitudes.
One of the most impressive displays in Ireland in recent years occurred in May 2024 when the Northern Lights were visible all over the island.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said, “A strong enhancement of the solar wind environment is likely on 23 Mar due to the anticipated arrival of a CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from 21 Mar. Lingering enhancements are likely to wane over the course of 24 Mar.”
NOAA noted that there was a minor (R1) chance for radio blackouts due to isolated M-class flare activity up to and including Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the UK Met Office has also posted on X about the potential for the Northern Lights to be visible on Sunday evening.
The Met Office said, “There is an expected enhancement in solar activity later on today, lasting overnight This could mean that there will be another chance to see the aurora tonight, where clear spells develop across Scotland and perhaps parts of northern England.”
Clear skies provided an ideal opportunity for stargazers in Donegal to catch a rare glimpse of the stellar lights display on Wednesday.
The below video was taken at Fort Dunree, near Buncrana on County Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula at 8pm on Wednesday. Clips have been taken from an ongoing live YouTube stream.
