The Sun experienced a major flare on Saturday morning. The Northern Lights could be visible in the north of mainland France this Sunday evening.
Northern lights in the coming hours in the French sky? The conditions are ripe for the phenomenon to take place soon, after the recording of a solar flare earlier on Saturday March 23, notably by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
According to Guillaume Séchet, weather journalist at BFMTV and founder of the Météo-villes site, this “major” eruption could “soon” lead to northern lights in mainland France in “the northern half for those who will benefit from clearings”.
Uncertainties about the precise date of the phenomenon
Near France 3 Valentin Severin, an astrophotographer based in Meurthe-et-Moselle, estimates that the northern lights “could arrive next night, that of March 24 to 25”. For his part, Pierre Henriquet, scientific mediator specializing in astronomy, shares on the social network (formerly Twitter) that the most likely window to observe the phenomenon would be between Monday and Tuesday.
If the phenomenon occurs during the night from Monday to Tuesday, it may however not be visible in France due to a sky which promises to be very cloudy, according to forecasts from Meteo France. An appearance during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, although unlikely according to current forecasts, would be more enviable for fans of astronomical phenomena because the sky should be clearer.
In recent months, the Earth has experienced an increase in the number of northern lights, linked to strong activity of the Sun and its magnetic cycles, which reach their maximum every 11 years. The peak of this activity is expected for 2025.