A ‘red alert’ has been issued for the northern lights and the best time to see them in Greater Manchester tonight

A red alert has been issued by Aurora experts, who have revealed the best time to view the Northern Lights display tonight. Stargazers in Greater Manchester were treated to a stunning solar phenomenon as it appeared in the northern sky last night (May 10).

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

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

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

Their warning means “the aurora is likely to 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 the aurora can be seen from the UK.

Since you need a dark, clear sky to see the natural lights, according to his data, the best time to see tonight’s display will be between 10pm and 2am.

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

Met Office meteorologist Chris Snell told the PA: “It’s hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be increased solar activity tonight so the lights could be visible again in the northern parts of the United Kingdom, 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 use a good camera, adding: “The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are away from the street lights and areas with many. of light pollution, because any kind of light has a big effect.”

“Also, at this time of year, we’re struggling with the shorter nights, so they’re unlikely to be visible until around 10.30pm or 11am, when it really gets dark.”