Northern Lights may again be visible in the Netherlands tonight

Netherlands residents have another chance to see the northern lights tonight. The best chance to see the natural phenomenon will be around 3:00 to 5:00 a.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States. They may also be visible for an hour around 7:00 p.m. and between midnight and 2:00 a.m.

The northern lights are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with the atmosphere at high speed. That happens far above the earth, at an altitude of about 800 to 1,000 kilometers.

The northern lights are generally only visible above the Arctic Circle. Still, sometimes - if the burst of particles is large enough and the skies are clear enough - the natural phenomenon can be seen as far away as Northern Europe.

Netherlands residents have been able to see the Lights several times this year already, including in November, September, April, and February. They’ll also likely be visible often in the coming months. Sun activity peaks every 11 years, and 2024 is such a year.

The Northern Lights aren’t always visible to the naked eye when they make it all the way to the Netherlands, but they show up beautifully on camera, especially on long-exposure shots.