Don’t worry if you missed them last night, they could be back
The Northern Lights are set to be visible again from the UK tonight after observers were treated to a meteorological double header last night.
Many enjoyed a once-in-a-life-time experience of the Perseids meteor shower backlit with the famous Aurora Borealis.
Despite activity peaking last night, there is a chance that the Northern Lights will be visible again tonight from Northern England and Scotland.
The Met Office said that plasma ejection from the sun that has caused the Northern Lights will “wane slowly through Tuesday 13 August”.
That said, there is “a chance of visible aurora to Scotland and parts of northern England overnight”.
Earlier this week the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported major solar activity that could lead to a large geomagnetic storm, causing the aurora.
Meanwhile the biggest meteor shower of the year is set to continue along with the Northern Lights tonight.
The incredible double up of meteorological phenomena could provide breath-taking vistas for people in the UK to enjoy as long as the skies stay clear.
The meteor shower, known as the Perseids, is almost guaranteed to be enjoyed by all in the Northern Hemisphere as the event is a regular occurrence, appearing in August every year.
Despite passing its peak yesterday when 100 ‘shooting stars’ could be seen per hour, the stellar show will continue throughout August after it started in mid-July.
NOAA reported that two plumes of plasma, known as coronal mass ejections hit the Earth’s atmosphere just as the weekend came round while the Perseids continue to streak across the sky.
Scientists from NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) advise people that the best time to see the shower of meteors will be in the early morning after midnight.
On its website NASA said: “The Perseid meteor shower, which peaks in mid-August, is considered the best meteor shower of the year.
“With swift and bright meteors, Perseids frequently leave long ‘wakes’ of light and colour behind them as they streak through Earth’s atmosphere.”
Areas with minimal light pollution are best for observing the meteors as per the ESA who also advise to avoid looking at screens or other bright objects in the half hour before going to watch the shower in order to allow the eyes to adjust to the dark.
The Perseids get their name from the Perseus constellation from where the meteors appear to come named after the hero in Greek mythology of the same namesake.
Meteors come from debris that is shed from comets that then hit the earth’s atmosphere expulsing bright streaks of light as the friction burns up the particles high in the sky.
The Perseids originate from the comet Swift-Tuttle.
A meteor is a meteoroid that burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere while a meteorite is a meteoroid that reaches the Earths surface.
Meteoroids are typically 2mm to 1m in size while an asteroid is anything larger.
A comet is a large ball of frozen gas, rock and dust that orbits the sun.
