Chance to see aurora

A GREENOCK astronomy expert says people living in Inverclyde have a high chance of seeing a spectacular display in the night sky over the weekend.

Stephen McAllister told the Telegraph it’s very likely there will be aurora borealis activity on Saturday night and possibly into Sunday.

Stephen said the Glendale app, which provides aurora alerts, has detected a ‘triple mass ejection’ event on the surface of the sun.

He said: “On the surface of sun, there are eruptions like a volcano erupting, where material is spewed out in all sorts of directions.

“From time to time the solar flares are directed towards the earth, and when they come into contact with the earth’s magnetic field, they give us displays of aurora.

“One eruption on its own would be enough to cause aurora, but a family of three directed towards the earth is a pretty rare event.

“We could see something utterly spectacular.”

Stephen said heading to a dark space that gives an unobscured view north across the river will give stargazers a good chance of catching a glimpse of the display.

He added: “If it’s bright enough and you have a clear view, you’ll be able to see the aurora with the naked eye.

“Somewhere like Lunderston Bay or anywhere along the seafront will be ideal.

“Night mode on a smartphone will allow people to capture some amazing photos.

“It could be something really quite special.”