Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights), Ireland: St Patrick's Day 2013

There were some incredible Aurora displays over north and northwestern parts of Ireland on Sunday night as a result of a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) on Sunday morning.

The solar blast led to amazing Northern Lights displays on St Patrick's night.

Aurora and offshore lightning strike at Horn Head, Co. Donegal last night. Image Daragh McDonough

Musseden Temple, Castlerock, Derry. Image Owen Anderson

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) at Culdaff, Inishowen Peninsula., Donegal. Image Stoycho Danev

Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) paint Irish skies green in Inishowen, County Donegal on St Patrick's Night. Image Adam Rory Porter

Aurora as seen from Belmullet in North Mayo. Image Brian Wilson

Aurora on St Patrick's night over Lough Talt in the Ox Mountains,Co Sligo. Image Ronan Newman

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) light up the skies on Saint Patricks night in Ballyliffin, Co. Donegal.  Image Brendan Diver

Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) light up the skies on Saint Patricks night in Ballyliffin, Co. Donegal.  Image Brendan Diver

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FEATURE - A Quiet Interlude in Solar Max

Something unexpected is happening on the Sun. 2013 was supposed to be the year of “solar maximum,” the peak of the 11-year sunspot cycle. Yet 2013 has arrived and solar activity is relatively low. Sunspot numbers are well below their values from 2011, and strong solar flares have been infrequent. The quiet has led some observers to wonder if forecasters missed the mark.

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VIDEO - Fiery Looping Rain on the Sun

It's dry in Ireland and it's raining on the sun. Don't know who we can thank for that one.

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UK Report Studies Impacts Of Space Weather

The UK Met Office welcomes the Royal Academy of Engineering report on Space Weather, the UK's first in-depth study of the impacts of space weather.

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Rocketing Into the Northern Lights over Alaska

Auroras are a visible reminder of our planet’s connection to space. 

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GALLERY Aurora Borealis Over Ireland - 08 October 2012

NOAA's Aurora Forecast

Parts of Ireland were treated to a rare Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) display on Monday night, as a result of a coronal mass ejection (CME) impacting Earth's magnetic field. 

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Northern Lights, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland, September 2012

According to photographer Fred Schalk, My Shot: "On this night northern lights had been predicted, so I decided to find a nice spot on the Reykjanes peninsula. However, the sky wasn't very cooperative, especially in the far distance, so on my way over I stopped near an abandoned house, where it was less cloudy. In some ways the outcome was really not so bad because the clouds, the blue spots in the sky, the green northern lights, and the orange reflection of the Reykjavik city lights all mixed together in a multicolor light show."

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Northern Lights To Become A More Regular Sight Over Ireland

The Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis at the Giant's Causeway. Photo Martin McKenna, nightskyhunter.com.

Over the next two years Irish skies are to be set ablaze with displays of the Northern Lights, some of which could knock out satellites and send power grids into overload plunging millions of people into darkness. 

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How The Sun Could Control Earth's Temperature

Stephen Wilde (biography below) presents "Stephen Wilde’s New Climate Model".  In this first feature article, Stephen examines  "How The Sun Could Control Earth's Temperature". 

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NASA Tracks Electron Beams From The Sun

NASA's Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) observes a wide array of particles that flow toward Earth from the sun to better understand the great space weather system that connects the sun to our planet. Credit: NASA/H. ZelL. 

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