On Tuesday night the Northern Lights were visible in some parts of the north of the country. It is hoped that they will be visible again tonight.
Social media has been awash with photography of the (pink) Northern Lights. Although most of the photos we came across were taken in the Netherlands, the Flemish weather spotter Bart Medaer was also able to photograph the Northern Lights in the north of Antwerp Province.
On Tuesday night the Northern Lights were pink in colour. The colour of the Northern Lights depends on how deep the particles charged by what is called a “solar blast” penetrate the earth’s atmosphere.
Same again tonight?
We may get another chance to see the Northern Lights late this evening or overnight. They may well be more intense than was the case last night. Christine Verbeke of Leuven University (KU Leuven) VRT News that “A new, even faster solar storm is approaching Earth. What's more, the Earth's magnetic field is still recovering from the previous storm. This means that the impact is likely to be even greater. I am hopeful that the northern lights will be more intense than last night, but of course this remains a prediction, just like the weather forecast.”
If you don't want to miss the Northern Lights, you should look north late tonight or tonight, low on the horizon and in a dark place.
There is good news from the VRT’s weatherman Bram Verbruggen as he says that “The weather will be clear tonight.”
A storm on the Sun
It started with a large explosion on the sun a few days ago. The explosion sent solar storms towards Earth. Last night, the first of these storms reached our planet. The charged particles carried by the storms collide with our atmosphere and it is this that creates the Northern Lights.
Normally, the Northern Lights can only be seen in areas such as the north of Scotland, Scandinavia, etc. However, in recent years they have also been observed several times in Belgium. This comes about where there is a peak in solar storms.
Just like on Earth, there are seasons on the Sun, during which the Sun becomes more or less active. Every 11 years, activity on the Sun peaks, and that is currently in full swing. If you want to spot the Northern Lights, it is best not to wait too long, because according to space weather expert Christine Verbeke, the peak has just passed.