- Radiation directed to the North Pole expands the aurora zone to reach Ireland.
- Northern Lights visible in Ireland with red and green displays shared on social media.
- Caused by charged particles colliding with atmospheric gases during geomagnetic storms.
- Storm travelled 93m miles in 25 hours, rated level four.
- Aurora zone expands to Ireland, with intensity ebbing and flowing.
- Rare overhead displays were noted in 2024, influenced by solar activity.
- The event resembles fluctuating rain showers in a storm.
The Northern Lights appeared across Irish skies last night, displaying red and green colours in areas such as Co Clare, Co Galway, and south Dublin.
Social media captured widespread images of the aurora. Charged particles from solar activity collided with atmospheric gases near magnetic poles to create the phenomenon. Geomagnetic storms influenced the visibility southward. Predictions indicated the event arrived earlier than expected.
Astronomy Ireland confirmed the storm as one of the fastest recorded, travelling 93m miles in 25 hours instead of the usual three to four days. The ongoing geomagnetic storm rates at level four on a five-point scale.
David Moore of Astronomy Ireland shared “This is one of the fastest events ever seen, hurtling the 93m miles from Sun to Earth in just 25 hours when normally it takes between three and four days. a huge geomagnetic storm is in progress and it has arrived several hours earlier than what was predicted. The show could ebb and flow, get stronger or weaker, but watching as it changes is part of the fun. There is a scale of one to five on these storms and this one was predicted at four, which means that for Ireland, all the radiation coming in, is directed by our magnetic field to the North Pole. When you look at it from Space it looks like a donut surrounding the North Pole, that doughnut just gets fatter and it will get so fat that it can reach down as far as Ireland. on rare occasions the aurora can go over Ireland, it happened in 2024 which made the Northern Lights visible overhead. He said the display is like a rain shower in a storm, it can die away and appear again and that can last a few hours.”
