Aurora Borealis viewing opportunity tonight
Tuesday night presents the latest opportunity to see the Northern Lights in Ireland.
North Ulster is best placed to see the Aurora Borealis, with viewing opportunities possible further south in Atlantic coastal counties 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.
Meanwhile, the UK Met Office posted on X, “All eyes to the north tonight. A Coronal Mass Ejection is forecast to arrive on earth, potentially giving opportunities to see the Northern Lights. Strong auroral activity is possible in northern Scotland, but even southern England could catch a glimpse in any cloud breaks.”
The below video was taken at Fort Dunree, near Buncrana on County Donegal’s Inishowen Peninsula on March 19th. Clips were taken from a live YouTube stream.
