Northern Lights: Why are we seeing the aurora borealis more often in the UK and what's the best way to photograph the spectacle?

This year has been named the year of the Aurora, with the UK lucky enough to see another incredible display of the Northern Lights on Thursday.

Known as the aurora borealis, they are typically seen further north in countries like Iceland and northern parts of Finland, Norway and Canada.

Here, Sky News looks at why we are seeing the celestial phenomena so much in the UK, whether we will see more and how to photograph them.

What causes the Northern Lights?

The shimmering spectacle occurs when energy and charged particles released from the Sun through coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares travel towards Earth on the solar wind and collide with the Earth's magnetic field and upper atmosphere, interacting with gases to create spectacular displays of blue, purple, green, pink and red.

If the solar activity is strong enough, it will cause a geomagnetic storm.

Why are we seeing the show so much in the UK?

The higher the level of geomagnetic activity, the greater the chance of seeing the lights at lower latitudes and potentially across the UK.

In May a large and complex sunspot cluster produced strong solar flares that formed an extreme geomagnetic storm, the strongest in 20 years - with the highest G5 rating given.

The colourful display could be seen across the UK.

The spectacular display on Thursday night was given the second-highest rating.

We are currently near the peak of the 11-year solar cycle, with high solar activity giving an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

The current peak is expected to last until mid-2025, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.

Will we see them again soon?

Several things need to align for the skies over the UK to dazzle again.

Any solar eruptions that do occur need to be aimed at Earth and cause a strong geomagnetic storm.

It also needs to be dark enough with settled weather allowing clear skies to see the aurora.

What's the best way to capture them?

While the Northern Lights are visible to the naked eye, the colours often appear faint and muted compared to those captured by camera.

To take better pictures of the aerial phenomena, Adobe recommends using manual camera settings and a wide aperture on a camera.

It suggests using low shutter speeds, up to 20 seconds, as well as setting the camera's ISO value all the way to 2,000 or higher - such settings are usually available in smartphones' camera settings.

(c) Sky News 2024: Northern Lights: Why are we seeing the aurora borealis m