Prepare your cameras for a strong aurora tonight

If you’re in Northern Europe or North America, you might want to grab your camera tonight and step outside. Recent geomagnetic solar storms are making it likely that the aurora borealis will be visible much further south than normal.

In fact, they could be seen as far south as the Mid-West USA, according to reports. The lights are also predicted to be seen in Scotland and the Northern parts of the UK.

Usually, the aurora borealis is only seen in the Arctic Circle, in places such as Scandinavia, Alaska and Canada. However, solar activity has been particularly strong this year, which means that the northern lights have been both stronger and visible much further south than they normally are.

If you’re based in the Southern hemisphere, then you could also be in luck, as the sun’s energy is not restricted to the northern parts of the planet. The aurora australis could be visible in southern Australia, from Victoria to Western Australia.

Coronal mass ejections from the sun cause these solar storms. These then stream particles towards Earth’s atmosphere, which are then seen as the Northern or Southern lights. Scientists predict that 2024 will most likely be the peak of this cycle of solar activity. So, if you want to take spectacular photos of the aurora, this could be your year.

The best way to photograph the aurora is to find a dark site, away from light pollution from cities. The optimal time is often between 10 pm and 2 am, and obviously without cloud cover.

Astronauts on board the International Space Station have also been photographing spectacular displays of the aurora recently. Albeit, from an unusual point of view. We will look forward to seeing more photos of the light display as the year continues.

[via the guardian]

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