If you gazed enviously on social media at the countless images of the northern lights captured in 2024, don’t fret as your dream of seeing the stunning light show could come true in 2025 – on numerous occasions.
This is because, like last year, 2025 is ‘the solar maximum’ - the period of greatest solar activity within the sun’s 11-year solar cycle.
The northern lights, also known as the aurora borealis, are vibrant light displays that occur in the sky, usually near the polar regions. However, Northern Ireland’s proximity to the northern horizon during this period means we are also able to enjoy these rare displays.
What is the solar maximum?
“The solar maximum sees the highest peak of activity during a solar cycle. You see the aurora a lot more frequently, and you can see much better displays,” explains Alistair Hamill, geography teacher, photographer and aurora chaser.
“The current solar cycle is called cycle 25 and it’s been democratised for anybody. For the last one, cycle 24, you really needed a pretty decent camera to photograph it. Now people are capturing it on their smartphones and anybody can be an aurora chaser.
“This year, and next, is going to be the peak. Now is definitely the time to keep an eye on those alerts, because if you miss this opportunity, it will probably be another decade before we get to another really good run of auroras.
“When you get a solar minimum, they are a lot less frequent and you may have to wait four to six years to see the aurora.”
Head of geography at Lurgan College, he finds his students are increasingly interested in getting tips from him about when they can next see the northern lights.
When will we next see the northern lights?
“The aurora can happen at any time of the year, but you’re more likely to see it in the winter, simply because you’ve got longer hours of darkness.
“Beyond that, the aurora tends to be higher and more prominent around the spring and autumn equinoxes in March and October.”
While we should all be watching social media and weather reports this March carefully for aurora alerts, Hamill is keen to manage people’s expectations.
“It’s like any forecast, there are no guarantees. To be able to see the aurora borealis, you need it to be cloud free, or at least cloud breaks, and living on the island of Ireland that’s not always possible,” he laughs.
Why are the northern lights different colours?
The lights are created when charged particles from the sun, known as solar winds, collide with gases in earth’s atmosphere. The particles interact with gases, resulting in a kaleidoscope of colour in our skies.
“The lower part of the aurora, closer to the Earth’s surface, is dominated by green colours from oxygen molecules. Higher up in the atmosphere, the oxygen molecules emit more red colours. Rarer blue and purple colours are sometimes seen at the very top, caused by nitrogen molecules,” explains Hamill.
Where is the best place in Northern Ireland to see the aurora?
While the further north you are, the better view you can expect, as we have witnessed in the past year, it is possible to see the aurora anywhere in Ireland, “as long as the location is dark enough”.
This means getting away from artificial light like street lamps and preferably finding a darkened area in the countryside or by water.
“The darker the location, the more you are going to see. Cameras pick up the colour much brighter and much more intensely than the naked eye will. So the first thing to do in order to establish whether the colours are present is to put your camera on night mode and take a photo,” advises Hamill.
His next tip is to allow your eyes time to adjust to the dark and then “let your imagination do the rest”.
How should we photograph the northern lights?
Hamill himself uses a “mid-range Fuji” camera, but says smartphones are just as capable of capturing the beauty of the aurora borealis.
“Your smartphone may not be technically as good as a camera costing thousands of pounds, but it’s your photo, it’s your story and it’s your experience.”
His tips to any budding astro-photographer is to use ‘night mode’ or ‘pro mode’ on your phone, allowing for a longer exposure and to use a small tripod.
Hamill’s interest in astro-geography and space weather forecasting developed alongside his love of landscape photography.
“As life got busy with work and raising kids, I found the best time to get out and take photographs was at night.
“It’s just amazing how much you can see by way of stars in Northern Ireland with the naked eye. Then what the camera allows you to do is capture even more. It was like a superpower, which just led me to this incredible fascination with the night sky.
Those moments of standing still are brilliant for drinking in the experience of the night sky
— Alistair Hamill
“With astro-photography, because you’re taking photographs of stars, which can be hundreds and thousands of light years away, you’re looking back in time. I love that sense of just connecting to something that is unimaginably big and grand. It can really give you perspective in life.
“I’m also proud of the fact that I’m standing in Northern Ireland doing that. I visit the Giant’s Causeway a lot and like to take a photograph of those giant salted columns, which are just wonderfully unique to us, juxtaposed with the vast expanses of history in the sky above us.”
Hamill often captures himself in the photographs, by setting his camera up on the tripod and putting it on a timer.
“I reckon that if there was an international competition for standing still for 30 seconds I could absolutely represent the country. Those moments of standing still are brilliant for drinking in the experience of the night sky.”
Despite witnessing and photographing countless auroras in recent times, he still gets excited about the prospect of those pillars of aurora lights appearing in our skies.
“Firstly, I enjoy the science side, searching satellite data, aurora forecasting and expanding my own knowledge and understanding with every observation that I do.
“Secondly, I’m still completely blown away by the fact that I could go 10 minutes up the road in Co Antrim from my home and see the aurora. Most of the time, the displays are very nice and you take a few photographs. Then every once in a while, its beauty literally takes your breath away. Those moments are good for the soul.”
Alistair Hamill will be sharing the science behind aurora forecasting in the talk Beginner’s Guide to Aurora Chasing at Belfast Exposed on February 13 as part of the NI Science Festival, Nisciencefestival.com.
