Why you might get the chance to see the Northern Lights in Ireland this weekendBy Lisa Salmon, PAYou don’t have to travel to Iceland or Alaska to see one of the most stunning natural displays in the world – the Northern Lights set the night sky aglow in many locations across Ireland. “People who live on the north coast of Ireland have a great view, because they’re looking out over the Atlantic Ocean and there’s no town lights in the distance from there,” says Moore. There, they slam into the atoms and molecules that make up various gases in the atmosphere, creating the northern lights’ characteristic vibrant colours as they collide. “I’ve seen fantastic aurora from Dublin city, where the sky was ablaze with northern lights, but you’ll only see the major shows from a bright location. Moore says Astronomy Ireland runs an aurora alert service for Ireland – posting every afternoon what’s going to happen in the sky that night, including the aurora.

Source: Irish Independent September 19, 2023 10:37 UTC