Stargazers across the country were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, on numerous occasions in 2024.
Now Brits are set to get their latest chance to see what is described as “one of the most spectacular displays in the night sky” on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 15 and 16), according to Met Office forecasts.
Best time to see the Northern Lights
The Northern Lights may be visible in parts of the UK on Tuesday night (April 15), according to the Met Office.
The Met Office Space Weather forecast reads: “The aurora is expected to be at normal background levels until the arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection, most likely later on Tuesday UTC (15 Apr) and continuing into Wednesday (16 Apr).
“This is likely to bring the auroral oval to northern parts of the UK and similar geomagnetic latitudes, with a chance of some visibility towards the northern horizon for much of England.
“However, cloud cover over much of the UK will limit aurora viewings. The auroral oval will ease to background levels thereafter.”
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Best places to see the Northern Lights in the UK
According to the space weather forecast from the Met Office, the best spots in the UK to see the Northern Lights on Tuesday and Wednesday are:
- Scotland
- England (northern horizon)
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What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth’s atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.
Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most common gases in the atmosphere, with nitrogen emitting purple, blue and pink colours and oxygen emitting green.
