There is an “extreme” alert for Northern Lights to appear in Ireland this evening, according to Aurora Alert Ireland.
The meteorological service said the solar storm that triggers the Northern Lights is set to continue over the weekend.
“Extreme G4 and G5 storm conditions will again be possible tonight with another extreme aurora,” it said.
Read more: Northern Lights illuminate Ireland's skies - in pictures
“There will be some clear spells tonight, but cloud is set to increase from the west tonight.”
G5 is the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, on a scale from G1 to G5.
The last G5 geomagnetic storm, in October 2003, caused power outages in Sweden.
A preview for a time lapse I have in the works for later.
What an insane show last night! This was at Ballynafagh Church, Kildare.#ireland #auroraborealis #northernlights pic.twitter.com/91R2SgZYVL
— Sryan Bruen Photography (@sryanbruenphoto) May 11, 2024
Northern lights in Ireland
Irish Weather Channel founder Cathal Nolan said last night’s Northern Lights was the strongest display of Aurora Borealis since 1932.
“Looking ahead tonight, we're likely to see those clear skies continuing into tonight so that's not going to be an issue,” he told The Anton Savage Show.
“It will probably be at the strongest in the early part of the night tonight if you get the chance... probably around about 10.30pm up to midnight.”
Northern Lights occur when charged gas particles launched along Earth's magnetic field collide with gases in the upper atmosphere.
Those collisions produce tiny flashes that fill the sky with colourful light, with the colour depending on the type of gas particles.
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The strongest recorded Northern Lights was in 1869, according to Mr Nolan, which was “so bright in the Northern Hemisphere that people got up because they thought it was morning time”.
Along with the colourful lights, people can also expect a bit more sun with temperatures of up to 23 degrees Celsius predicted today.
Showers will push into the west tonight, however, making the lights less visible.
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