They peered into balconies, huddled atop observation decks, drank coffee and looked to the sky for a bit of color — any color.
As night fell, the chasers of the northern hemisphere's northern hemisphere appeared again on Friday. A brilliant hue, most commonly seen near the North Pole, lit up the skies last week in an unusual phenomenon across lower latitudes in Europe and North America.
Those who missed the lights, or wanted to see another show, set alarms and monitored aurora monitoring apps, hoping for another chance. Some people in Canada and the United Kingdom said they were rewarded, while others in the northern United States were keeping a close eye on the forecast.
But predicting when the aurora will appear can be difficult, forecasters said, given that the sun's activity changes constantly during its cycle.
“But broadly speaking, we know that activity and the number of sunspots should increase during this part of the cycle,” says Tom Morgan, a meteorologist with the Met Office.
The Met Office says there is a low chance of aurora borealis sightings in the UK, at least this weekend, but there is a “slight chance” of them appearing in northern Scotland before sunrise on Sunday.
The Northern Lights could appear again in Scotland and Northern Ireland on Monday, and may be visible to the naked eye in northern England and Wales. Monday will be sunny but with a chance of rain.
Experienced trackers say seeing the Northern Lights takes planning, patience and a group effort.
“We set up a small Aurora group in a small village,” said Steve Emery, 50, from the village of Heskett Newmarket in northwest England. A group of about 20 people were discussing the weather forecast, he said.
“It's become kind of a local hobby and it's a lot of fun,” he said.
Emery was sitting in bed when the alarm went off at 1 a.m. warning of the possibility of seeing the aurora borealis. He and other members of the chat group rushed by car to a nearby hilltop.
“It was faint, but I could clearly see it, especially the greens and purples,” he said. “They were glowing, too.”
Emery, 50, said the movement of the lights reminded him of curtains swaying at the end of a theater show. Within five minutes, he said, they came and went.
“You have to be ready because it happens so quickly,” he said, adding that the colors are different each time. “You never know what you're going to see. That's the addictive nature of it.”
Some people have had their preparations ruined by light pollution, a bright moon, and clouds.
Did they catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, or was there simply light pollution nearby? (The unique disappointment was that two friends living in Norwich discovered that the purple glow they thought was the Northern Lights was… It was recorded in a TikTok video when he shared that the light was actually coming from Premier Inn.
Solar storms are caused by the interaction of light particles with the Earth's magnetic field, and when geomagnetic activity increases, the aurora becomes brighter from the poles. The Sun typically has an 11-year cycle of activity, and periods of high activity are known as solar maxima.
The display last week came after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued an unusual warning on May 10 that a Level 5 solar storm had reached Earth. This extreme phenomenon has not been recorded since October 2003.
Experienced chasers and experts have some tips. Stay away from city lights. Go somewhere with a good view, such as on a hill. Look north. Also, cell phones can pick up more wavelengths than the naked eye, so use them to take photos.
Kate Sletaker from Norway was getting ready for bed in her home in Khor, about an hour northwest of Oslo, when she received the alarm. She went out onto the balcony.
The sky was bright, but with a faint glow of purple, lilac, and green.
“I was there until 3 a.m.,” she said. “My cat also came to visit and we took some great pictures.”
Although the light wasn't as strong as last week's sight, Threetaker still felt a tingle, she said.
“I have a feeling about the universe, which may be a little exaggerated, but a feeling about the universe. Everything comes a little closer from the universe,” she says, adding, “It's kind of magical.” he added.
