WE ARE IN for a New Year’s Eve treat this year, with experts forecasting that the Northern Lights will likely be visible across large parts of Ireland tonight. 

Here’s how to maximise your chances of catching a glimpse. 

According to Professor Peter Gallagher of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, several prediction models are showing that the Northern Lights will travel across at least half of the country tonight. 

The lights may be visible from about 6pm this evening until approximately 3am the next morning. 

However, Met Éireann is predicting cloudy weather for the same period, which will impact visibility of the aurora. 

The clouds may break up during the early hours of New Year’s Day though, so keep an eye on the sky after the clock strikes midnight.

If you really want to do your best to see the lights, the best thing you can do is get away from light pollution. That means travelling out of the city or town if you are in one. 

Speaking to The Journal yesterday, Gallagher, who is also the principal investigator with the Magnetometer Network of Ireland said: 

“If you live in Cork or Dublin or Galway, just get north of them.”

He did have a warning though: be prepared for an unpredictable and possibly tedious waiting period – and don’t forget to wrap up.

If you are in Dublin today, Gallagher recommended heading to Balbriggan or other north coastal regions. 

And in what is a rare occurrence, the people of Donegal have the advantage in this scenario.

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You may not have any trains but if you are in Donegal you will likely have the best chance of spotting the Northern Lights, given that it is the northernmost county.

And don’t forget, a smart phone or camera is your best friend. 

In a lot of areas the lights won’t be visible to the naked eye but will appear on camera. 

Advanced image sensors in phones mean you can now take a reasonably clear long exposure photo, which lets in more light than a normal photo and makes dark scenes brighter. 

You can track the predicted movements of the Northern Lights via the Magnetometer Network of Ireland website.