Northern Lights to appear in UK tonight: When and where to watch
British skies are set to show off another Northern Lights display on Saturday night after parts of the UK watched the aurora borealis overnight.
This natural phenomenon is rare in the UK and requires a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm to bring the auroral belt south from Norway, Iceland and Greenland.
The spectacle is mostly seen in the Arctic Circle and north of Scotland, but on Friday night it could be seen as far south as Norfolk; Forecasters expected some to see the lights again Saturday night.
The Met Office said: “If skies are clear, the Northern Lights can create a spectacular light show sometimes seen as far south as Scotland and Northern England/Ireland.”
It is estimated that the lights will be visible until midnight on Saturday.
Aurora borealis images are caused by massive explosions on the sun known as coronal mass ejections (CME). Particles ejected from the Sun’s surface interact with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, creating a colorful image visible 100 to 200 km above the Earth.
Oxygen, nitrogen and other gases in the atmosphere glow red, blue and pink.
Some photos on Friday showed a green sky over Bamburgh, Northumberland, England. People also reported seeing the lights in Canada and Russia.
On Thursday the Met Office said “caution should be taken” for the northern lights over the next few nights, adding that “sightings are likely to be in Scotland where skies are clear, but perhaps also in northern England”.
The weather agency encouraged people to find a dark place without light pollution and look toward the northern horizon, where the chances of seeing auroras are best.
The space weather forecast for Saturday said: “The ongoing impact of recent Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and the expectation of increased solar wind speeds through March 22 will likely drive increased geomagnetic activity.
“The aurora will likely be visible at higher latitudes and potentially further south as well, particularly with long exposure photography, but any cloud cover will limit viewing. The chances of increased aurora visibility during this period will gradually diminish.”
