| Indeed, 'the lighter side': Ideal conditions to see peak of Lyrid meteor shower Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 22:11, 22nd April 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Ideal conditions to see peak of Lyrid meteor shower in UK
With lots of clear skies over the coming nights there is a good chance of seeing the Lyrid meteor shower.
While it has been ongoing since the 16 April, the peak is expected on Wednesday night.
Expect to see around 10 to 15 meteors an hour with surges of activity that could bring up to 100 an hour.
The Lyrid meteor shower is an annual event as a result of the Earth passing through dust left behind Comet Thatcher.
With lots of clear skies over the coming nights there is a good chance of seeing the Lyrid meteor shower.
While it has been ongoing since the 16 April, the peak is expected on Wednesday night.
Expect to see around 10 to 15 meteors an hour with surges of activity that could bring up to 100 an hour.
The Lyrid meteor shower is an annual event as a result of the Earth passing through dust left behind Comet Thatcher.
| An update, here on 'The Lighter Side' of the Coffee Shop forum Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 21:02, 11th October 2026 | |
Continuing the theme of posting here on 'the lighter side' - from the BBC:
Northern Lights illuminate skies across the UK
Residents across the UK were left stunned as the sky was illuminated by the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The natural phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, is the result of increased solar activity.
Such occurrences are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, but particularly strong activity levels meant they could be seen across Wales and as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night.
The Met Office has said sightings could continue to be possible during clear skies until Tuesday.
And this was the picture-perfect view in south west Wales, from Tenby in Pembrokeshire - Image © BBC Weather Watchers / Lucy
Northern Lights are caused by powerful solar eruptions from the Sun, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Towards the end of last week, the Sun was observed to unleash CMEs directed towards the Earth.
This stream of charged particles can get captured by the Earth's magnetic field and directed into our atmosphere, especially towards polar regions. When these charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, coloured light is emitted - this is the aurora.
The chances of seeing the aurora vary across the UK depending upon its strength. When activity levels reach 200nT (nanotesla) the aurora would be visible in the north of the UK, but not the south.
On Saturday evening, those levels reached 600nT, meaning it would be visible across the whole of the UK, even in the south, which is a much rarer phenomenon.
Experts have previously said 2026 will be a peak year for aurora-spotting as the Sun has been in a heightened state of activity as part of its 11-year natural cycle.
A purple glow could be seen across the sky in Salisbury, Wiltshire on Saturday - Image © BBC Weather Watchers / Carolyn R
If you missed out this time, the aurora may return on Sunday. The Met Office has said sightings remain possible across Scotland and similar geomagnetic longitudes during clear skies until Tuesday.
To see them, you need to look northwards, away from bright streetlights, and view the aurora through a mobile phone camera.
The reason you need to use a camera is because in low-light conditions at night our eyes use rod cells to see - these cells do not perceive colour and so we actually see in black and white. Cameras do not have the same limitations.
Residents across the UK were left stunned as the sky was illuminated by the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The natural phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, is the result of increased solar activity.
Such occurrences are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, but particularly strong activity levels meant they could be seen across Wales and as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night.
The Met Office has said sightings could continue to be possible during clear skies until Tuesday.
And this was the picture-perfect view in south west Wales, from Tenby in Pembrokeshire - Image © BBC Weather Watchers / Lucy
Northern Lights are caused by powerful solar eruptions from the Sun, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Towards the end of last week, the Sun was observed to unleash CMEs directed towards the Earth.
This stream of charged particles can get captured by the Earth's magnetic field and directed into our atmosphere, especially towards polar regions. When these charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, coloured light is emitted - this is the aurora.
The chances of seeing the aurora vary across the UK depending upon its strength. When activity levels reach 200nT (nanotesla) the aurora would be visible in the north of the UK, but not the south.
On Saturday evening, those levels reached 600nT, meaning it would be visible across the whole of the UK, even in the south, which is a much rarer phenomenon.
Experts have previously said 2026 will be a peak year for aurora-spotting as the Sun has been in a heightened state of activity as part of its 11-year natural cycle.
A purple glow could be seen across the sky in Salisbury, Wiltshire on Saturday - Image © BBC Weather Watchers / Carolyn R
If you missed out this time, the aurora may return on Sunday. The Met Office has said sightings remain possible across Scotland and similar geomagnetic longitudes during clear skies until Tuesday.
To see them, you need to look northwards, away from bright streetlights, and view the aurora through a mobile phone camera.
The reason you need to use a camera is because in low-light conditions at night our eyes use rod cells to see - these cells do not perceive colour and so we actually see in black and white. Cameras do not have the same limitations.
I have been rather selective in including links to images in the above quote from the BBC - simply selecting the ones which were seen in our Greater Western area. There are many more images in that article - to see them all, just click on that link to the BBC.
CfN.
