Dance of the skies

Prepare yourself for a light show that may become more visible from the UK over the next few years

In February this year, people living in the UK were treated to an unexpected and rare event in the night skies as the Aurora Borealis, otherwise known as the Northern Lights, were visible across much of the nation. Many spectacular images were captured with unusual red pillars on the northern horizon. They could be seen from much further south than usual, the result of strong solar activity that pushed the auroral sphere further down to lower latitudes. Indeed, the light show was observed from as far south as Cornwall and even northern France.

Despite the UK’s relatively northern location in Europe, the Northern Lights are rarely seen in most parts of this country. Avid aurora hunters usually have to travel to northernmost dark-sky places, such as the highlands of Scotland, Iceland or other hotspots in Scandinavia, such as Norway and Sweden.

However, the Aurora Borealis is a spectacle that features on many people’s bucket lists, and the good news is that you may not need to travel quite so far to see them in the coming years. The Sun observes a cycle every 11 years that affects its intensity and the amount of energy being cast into space. The next time this will occur is during the Solar Maximum, which is expected in 2025.