Wales was treated to a spectacular northern lights display on Sunday night and forecasters are saying that there could be another chance to catch them on Monday. A Met Office spokesman said the rare sightings of the aurora borealis further south in the UK on Sunday night were due to the "strength" of a geomagnetic storm and the "strip of cloudless skies" in southern regions.
Royal Museums Greenwich explained on its website that the lights are caused by solar storms on the surface of the sun giving out clouds of electrically-charged particles which can travel millions of miles and collide with the Earth. Most particles are deflected away but some are captured in the Earth's magnetic field and accelerate down towards the north and south poles, colliding with atoms and molecules in the Earth's atmosphere, according to the observatory.
They can be seen from time in the UK but to see them as far south as Pembrokeshire is very unusual. Take a look at the pictures from Wales here.
The Met Office has explained that a coronal hole high-speed stream arrived on Sunday combined with a "rather fast coronal mass ejection" leading to northern lights sightings across the UK and there could be the same again on Monday, February 27. Dan Stroud, operational meteorologist at the Met Office, told WalesOnline: "There is a fairly good chance of seeing the Northern Lights again tonight across parts of Wales as another coronal mass ejection arrives. Aurora is once again possible to similar latitudes, perhaps as far south as central or southern England, however you will need clear skies and a good view of the horizon."
BBC Breakfast forecaster Carol Kirkwood also said there is a "very good chance" people will be able to see the lights again on Monday night and believes the best time could be around midnight. "We need clear skies and the KP Index is going to be very similar to what it was on Sunday night," she said. "Around midnight will be the best as after that it falls a bit, but if you have got clear skies get out there.
"But your naked eye will not see the vibrant greens and reds we see in pictures. Your naked eye will see a white cloud that is shimmering. So stick your camera at the sky if you see that, even your phone camera and you will get a much better viewpoint of it."
A spokesman for Dark Sky Wales said there was a chance for sightings on Monday night as the aurora warning is valid for 72 hours from Sunday but added: "The only issue is the weather and unpredictability of the aurora itself." The conditions still need to be right – dark and clear nights, with as little light pollution as possible.
The advice from Dark Sky Wales is that if it is the same intensity as on Sunday night people should look "anywhere north-facing". They added: "It will appear as a white haze to the naked eye, maybe green, but colourful with a camera."
The Met Office forecast for Wales does say there will be some cloud around but "clearer periods" could develop and it is going to be cold. The forecast says: "Staying similar this evening and overnight with large amounts of cloud in general but an increasing chance of some clearer periods developing. Turning frosty where skies become clear. Minimum temperature -2°C."
There could still be a good chance of seeing the display again in the future. BBC forecaster Simon King said: "Solar activity which creates the aurora by eruptions on the sun is currently the highest seen since 2014. In its 11-year cycle activity is increasing now up to a maximum expected in 2024-25."
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