The aurora borealis, commonly known as The Northern Lights, is due to move further south than normal, allowing for a greater chance to see the natural phenomenon from Ireland.

A coronal mass ejection, a massive burst of solar wind, left the sun on Tuesday and arrived here this morning. The aurora borealis, commonly seen past the Arctic Circle, will move further south for at least Thursday and Friday night.

"The best time to look is between 9pm and 1am. Northern Ireland and Donegal are the best spots, but once you have a dark sky and a clear horizon you should be able to see at least a faint glow." said Conor Farrell of Astronomy Ireland.

"We'd recommend people keep an eye on the sky for the next few nights, as it's quite strong and could last a few days"

The aurora borealis is an effect that occurs when highly charged electrons from the solar wind interact with elements in the Earth's atmosphere and follow the lines of Earth's magnetic field.

Predictions vary, but the US National Weather Service posted "you may get a chance to see the Aurora if you live in the Northern lower 48." UK based predictions have the English midlands as an optimistic reach.

Although the most famous and most common aurora is green, the colour changes depending on which elements are interacted with and where in the atmosphere the interaction occurs.

Green (most common) - Oxygen, up to 240km

Blue - Nitrogen, up to 100km

Red - Oxygen, above 240km

Purple/Violet - Nitrogen, above 100km

Coronal mass ejections have an adverse effect on a number of electronic systems. This particular event caused the delay of an International Space Station supply run among other effects.

Planning on photographing the aurora? Check out our helpful blog: Top Tips to capture the Northern Lights tonight

Frank Whelan

Online Editors