Marc Van den Broeck is director of the Urania public observatory. — © RR
According to National Geographic, the Netherlands could see the Northern Lights, a rare natural phenomenon that is mainly linked to the Scandinavian countries. What about us? Can the polar lights also be seen here? Marc Van den Broeck, director at the Urania public observatory, explains. “Last weekend there was a line of light visible, but you could only see it with a camera.”
“Attention: in the coming days you may be able to see the polar lights in the Netherlands,” it reads on the Dutch website National Geographic. According to Marc Van den Broeck, we could also see some (photographic) northern lights last weekend, but not with the naked eye. “It was just a line of light that you could only observe with a camera and the right settings,” says Van den Broeck.
The classic northern lights, the curtain of light that moves in the sky and is visible to the naked eye, rarely occurs in our region. “The light is linked to eruptions on the sun. If the eruptions are powerful enough, they may be visible further south. We keep a close eye on this through measurements and always announce it when the time comes.”
Poollight.be
The forecasts for Belgium today are clear: ‘Based on current parameters, there is now no chance of aurora in Belgium and the Netherlands.’ This can be read on Poollicht.be, but that could still change. “Today the index fluctuates between 3 and 7. The index is currently at 3.8. From age 6 onwards the chance that you can see the Northern Lights increases.” Still, the chance that you will see aurora tonight is small. “The weather conditions are not ideal. It is cloudy and the moon would shine out the weak light.”
“The last time the Northern Lights were visually visible in our country was in April 2003. This was even visually detected in a light-polluted city like Antwerp.”
Marc Van den Broeck
Director at Urania public observatory
The best period to observe light in our country is when it is sufficiently dark. “The months of May and April are perfect. In June the nights are too short and there is too much light,” says Van den Broeck. “The last time the Northern Lights were visually visible in our country was in April 2003. At that time, it was even visually detected in a light-polluted city like Antwerp. The sun was very active at that time and the weather conditions were favorable. Yet it remains rare. If you can see it once in your life, you are lucky.”
If there is a chance to see the polar lights in Belgium, Poollicht.be will communicate this. But even such an announcement does not provide an absolute guarantee. “The light comes and goes with periods. This could take, for example, fifteen minutes or half an hour. That is difficult to estimate. If we actually see the light, we will communicate this through our channels, but there is a chance that the light has already passed by the time you have read our message.”
