How to watch the northern lights and Perseid meteor shower in the UK this weekend
Two large plumes of plasma erupting from the Sun, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are expected to collide with Earth's atmosphere over the weekend.
The northern lights are likely to make an appearance in parts of the UK this weekend, along with the biggest meteor shower of the year.
Two large plumes of plasma erupting from the Sun, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), are expected to collide with Earth's atmosphere on Friday and Saturday night, leading to auroras visible at more southern latitudes, according to space weather forecasters, reports Independent. In addition, the Perseid meteor shower will peak this weekend, lighting up the night sky.
According to Royal Museums Greenwich, what we are witnessing when we see a shooting star is a small piece of interplanetary matter, called a meteor, entering the Earth's atmosphere and 'burning up' at a height of about 100 km.
These small particles move very fast relative to the Earth and when they enter the Earth's atmosphere, they are completely evaporated and the air in the path of the meteor is ionised.
We see light from the emission of radiation from the ionised gas and the white-hot evaporating particle. The trail is the hot gas gradually cooling down.
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Both the UK Met Office and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have predicted that the aurora borealis displays will peak on Saturday.
The Met Office’s forecast stated: “During the morning of the 10th a CME is expected to arrive, leading to enhancements of the auroral oval.
“Peak geomagnetic activity is expected during daylight hours, but some residual overnight activity may result in a slight enhancement of the auroral oval during the night of the 10th into the 11th.”
The northern lights will be visible across Scotland and could extend further south, depending on the strength and impact of the CMEs.
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In the US, NOAA has stated that the aurora will be visible “over some northern and upper Midwest states from New York to Idaho”
This celestial event will coincide with the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, where up to 100 'shooting stars' will streak across the sky every hour on Sunday night.
According to the latest Met Office forecast, skies over most of the UK are expected to be clear on Friday and Sunday nights, though much of England and Wales may be covered in cloud on Saturday night.
The best spots to view the meteors and auroras are in areas with low light pollution, and NASA encourages those eager to see them to venture away from urban areas.
The US Space Agency said on its website: “Get out of the city! Try to get to the darkest location you can. The darker it is where you are, the more meteors you will see streaking across the sky.”
