The phenomenon could be visible in the night sky this evening until Saturday
Sky-gazers in parts of the UK could catch a glimpse of the northern lights tonight as solar winds race towards Earth at about one million miles per hour.
People in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland may have the best chance to view the colourful aurora which is caused by charged particles from the sun colliding with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The charged particles are a result of a phenomenon known as coronal mass ejection – which is a sudden release of plasma from the sun’s corona, the outermost part of its atmosphere.
The Met Office has said the northern lights will be visible at night from tonight to Saturday , clear skies permitting. A spokesman said: “The northern lights may be enhanced overnight tonight with the arrival of a coronal mass ejection. They’re most likely to reach Scotland, parts of northern England and Northern Ireland.“However, visibility may be poor for many, with cloud and rain for many in those regions overnight, as well as only a short window where it’s dark enough as we’re in summer.
Don Pollacco, a professor at the University of Warwick’s Department of Physics, shared his top tips on viewing the stunning display. He said: “To predict exactly where you can see the northern lights is difficult as conditions can change quickly. “The current storm is said to be visible from northern England but they are notoriously difficult to predict. However, one thing is for sure, and that is that you are unlikely to see them from a brightly lit city environment – you need to go somewhere dark and look towards the northern horizon.
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