They might as well start paying rent at this point
Many weird things have happened this year. Seeing the northern lights so clearly across the country certainly feels like one of them.
Plenty of us were pretty baffled. They filled the skies across the UK earlier this year. And then it seemed to just keep happening for some lucky buggers.
Keeping with that trend, the Met Office has confirmed exciting news. The northern lights are going to return for a ‘once in a decade event’.
They might as well start paying rent at this point.
The Sun’s magnetic field will flip. Consequently, the aurora borealis are expected to be visible further south than usual. This phenomenon will occur more often in 2025.
We had it pretty good this year. (Getty Stock)
This shift in the Sun’s magnetic field happens every 11 years. We’re currently in the tail end of ‘solar maximum’.
That is when there is a peak in the number of sunspots. Solar flares are fired out, causing the famous northern lights.
Space Weather Manager of the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC) Krista Hammond explained: “We’re now in the solar maximum phase. This means there’s more frequent sunspots. It also means increased solar activity in general. It’s not possible to know precisely what this means for individual Earth-directed solar events. However, there will likely be further chances of aurora visibility in the UK in the coming months.
Related: Northern lights visible across the US due to solar storm: Here’s when and where to watch it
“We’re in the solar maximum phase now. This phase could last a year. It’s not possible to know exactly when the number of sunspots peaked until some time after it has happened.”
This whole ‘maximum phase’ stuff indicates there’s an ongoing chance of space weather activity. For example, we had the strongest geomagnetic storm on Earth in two decades back in the Spring.
There’s time to see them soon. (Getty Stock)
“A similar event reached Earth earlier in October. It was less strong. It provided aurora visibility as far south as parts of central and southern England and Wales,” the Met Office added.
Scientists generally agree that solar maximum is going to be reached next year. This would mean the area where the northern lights are visible will get even wider.
When the phase ends, activity on the Sun’s surface will gradually decrease. This will happen in the coming years as it approaches solar minimum.
The total number of sunspots will start to reduce after the solar maximum. However, we will continue to see space weather throughout the solar cycle. This will occur even as overall activity declines. Indeed, in some solar cycles, the larger events can happen as the Sun transitions back towards solar minimum,” Hammond added.
“It’s our job in MOSWOC to forecast these events in the coming months and years to minimise any potential disruption to satellite operations or some ground-based infrastructure.”Featured Image Credit: Getty stock
Topics: Science, Space, Weather
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