Northern Lights 'red alert' issued and the best time to see them in Greater Manchester tonight

A red alert status has been issued by Aurora experts who have revealed the best time to watch tonight’s Northern Lights display. Stargazers across Greater Manchester were treated to a stunning solar phenomenon as it made an appearance in northern skies last night (May 10).

Due to a severe geomagnetic storm, the Northern Lights were visible across the UK and other European countries in which you wouldn’t typically see the phenomenon.

Described as a “rare event”, it resulted in a solar storm warning from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

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Now, experts at AuroraWatch UK - run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics - have issued a red alert for tonight (May 11).

Their warning means “it is likely that aurora will be visible by eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.”

AuroraWatch UK produces an hourly activity index to measure “geomagnetic activity” which we use to estimate the likelihood that aurora can be seen from the UK.

As you need a dark clear sky to see the natural lights, according to its data, the best time to see tonight’s display will be from 10pm to 2am.

While the geomagnetic storm level tonight still falls in the ‘strong’ category, it’s likely the Aurora won’t be as impressive as Friday night’s show.

Meteorologist Chris Snell from the Met Office told PA: “It is hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be enhanced solar activity tonight, so the lights could be visible again in northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England.”

He advised those hoping to see the lights on Saturday to head to an area with low light pollution and to use a good camera, adding: “The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are away from street lights and areas with lots of light pollution, as any type of light does have a big effect.”

“Also, at this time of year, we are fighting the shorter length of nights, so it is unlikely that they will be visible until around 10.30pm or 11 o’clock when it gets really dark.”