Massive Aurora Borealis Warning: Kp 7 Possible

Astrophotographers rejoice: it looks like the next 24 hours could be a big one for the Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center has released a statement warning that a high-speed solar wind stream is hurtling towards Earth.

These charged particles are what cause a display of the Northern Lights, but this one looks like it could be pretty big. NOAA have estimated a massive KP 7 storm could be possible in the next 48-hours, but no one will know until it actually happens.

How to See the Northern Lights

If you’re keen on photographing this storm, and who would blame you, then there are a few things you need to do. Keep an eye on the Aurora forecast – you can see it on this website. You get an hour’s warning ahead of time, but as you see the numbers start to climb that means things are hotting up.

Make sure you’ve brushed up on your photography skills for photographing the Northern Lights too. It’s not necessarily the easiest thing to shoot. We have two tutorials for you: How to Photograph the Northern Lights in the UK and How to Photograph the Aurora Borealis.

Here are two graphics that will give you some indication of where you can see the Aurora should it be as powerful as has been predicted:

Good luck!