{"id":579577,"date":"2026-05-12T09:30:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/579577\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:30:09","slug":"exact-date-northern-lights-set-to-be-visible-in-sky-over-scotland-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/579577\/","title":{"rendered":"Exact date Northern Lights set to be visible in sky over Scotland this week"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SPOTTING the northern lights is a bucket list item for many \u2013 and lucky Scots could be in with a chance of ticking it off later this week.<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_528c11ecfeeb14ab-63\">A massive burst of solar activity, known as a coronal mass ejection (CME), blasted off the Sun at around 1.30pm on Sunday, May 10. <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSign up for Scottish Sun newsletter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\tThank you!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" loading=\"eager\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5003\" height=\"3987\" data-modal-image=\"16171384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/calton-hill-crowded-spectators-man-934241577.jpg\" alt=\"Spectators Capture Stunning Northern Lights on Calton Hill During Geomagnetic Storm in Edinburgh, UK\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-16171384\"  \/>The northern lights are set to be visible over Scotland this week Credit: Getty<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-modal-image=\"15821917\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/northern-lights-visible-much-united-939873978.jpg\" alt=\"The Northern Lights visible over a groyne on the beach at Portobello near Edinburgh, Scotland.\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-15821917\"  \/>A massive burst of solar activity blasted off the Sun at around 1.30pm on Sunday, May 10 Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n<p id=\"p-rc_528c11ecfeeb14ab-63\">The eruption has sent billions of tonnes of super-hot solar plasma and powerful magnetic fields hurtling toward Earth\u2019s \u201cstrike zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, any major solar flares or CMEs will be much more likely to be aimed towards the Earth. <\/p>\n<p>And when the cloud of particles hits the Earth\u2018s magnetic shield, an Aurora Borealis is produced which can paint the night sky with shades of pink, purple and green. <\/p>\n<p>Experts at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thescottishsun.co.uk\/topic\/met-office\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Met Office<\/a> say a section of this expanding solar cloud could brush past the Earth on Wednesday, May 13. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__headline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tREAD MORE ON THE SCOTTISH SUN\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"article-readmore__text-anchor-wrap\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thescottishsun.co.uk\/news\/16252448\/cops-called-activist-filming-luxury-migrant-hotel\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"240\" width=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TM-11-05-Migrants-Hotel_COMP.jpg\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-kicker\">BED &amp; BARRED<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-headline\">Cops called on &#8216;activist&#8217; for taking videos at &#8216;luxury&#8217; Scots migrants&#8217; hotel<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"article-readmore__text-anchor-wrap\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thescottishsun.co.uk\/news\/16251726\/scots-pupils-demand-probe-maths-exam-tears\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" height=\"240\" width=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/dpmt92-welsh-teenage-gcse-school-656245406.jpg\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-kicker\">PUPILS REVOLT<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-readmore__text-headline\">Scots pupils demand probe into Higher maths exam that left them in tears<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is expected to spark a minor geomagnetic storm, making it much more likely for stargazers in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thescottishsun.co.uk\/topic\/scotland\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Scotland<\/a> and the rest of the UK to spot the dazzling display<\/p>\n<p>The Met Office says: \u201cAuroral activity is expected to be mostly at background levels. However, there is the potential for a glancing CME arriving into early UTC on 13 May. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis may bring an enhancement to the auroral oval, perhaps allowing sightings across northern Scotland and similar geomagnetic latitudes, where skies are clear.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thescottishsun.co.uk\/topic\/northern-lights\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">northern lights<\/a> are seen in the UK several times a year, 2026 is expected to be a peak year as the Sun reaches the height of its 11-year cycle.<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMost read in The Scottish Sun\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Scotland and other high-latitude regions are prime locations for catching a glimpse of an aurora every few months.<\/p>\n<p>However, powerful solar storms make them visible across the UK between September and March. <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\tBest tips for seeing an aurora\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>The Met Office has laid out its best tip for catching a glimpse of the Northern Lights.<br \/>Always check the weather forecast before you set off.<\/p>\n<p>High cloud cover is the enemy of the Aurora and can block the display entirely.<\/p>\n<p>In order to see the lights, you need to get away from the light pollution of busy towns and cities.<\/p>\n<p>Finding a dark, rural location far from street lights is best.<br \/>Scan the northern horizon for unusual light patterns.<\/p>\n<p>While the display can sometimes be clear as day, it often starts as a faint, dancing mist.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be disheartened if the lights look faint to the naked eye.<\/p>\n<p>The Aurora often appears much brighter in photographs because cameras use long exposure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SPOTTING the northern lights is a bucket list item for many \u2013 and lucky Scots could be in&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":579578,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[90,416,56,54,55,1068],"class_list":["post-579577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-space","tag-science","tag-space","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=579577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/579577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/579578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=579577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=579577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=579577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}