Met Office issues ‘good chance’ verdict for Northern Lights as aurora could dazzle UK tonight

These are the best places to see the Northern Lights tonight, according to the Met Office

The Met Office has revealed where in the UK could catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights on Friday night (June 5).

Forecasters say there’s a ‘good chance’ the aurora borealis could be visible across northern parts of the UK, with sightings possible as far south as northern England.

It comes after a rare merger of two solar eruptions, known as a ‘cannibal’ solar storm. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this is set to spark a strong or even a severe magnetic storm around the Earth on Friday.

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The Northern Lights are caused by large explosions of activity from the sun which throw out huge amounts of charged particles into space.

When these particles are captured by the Earth’s magnetic field, they can collide with gas molecules in the atmosphere in an event called a geomagnetic storm. These collisions give off energy as light, forming spectacular colourful displays in the sky.

While typically confined to northern latitudes, the Met Office says ‘building geomagnetic activity’ could make the aurora more visible in southern latitudes, including the UK.

The Met Office said in a space weather update: “The arrival of a Coronal Mass Ejection early on 05 Jun has resulted in gradually building geomagnetic activity, which could allow for some visible aurora across northernmost geomagnetic latitudes, although viewings are likely to be limited by the light levels.

“Any further arrivals, which are low confidence, could allow for some viewings further south, potentially as far south as northern England.”

The Met Office space weather forecast suggests a ‘strong’ G3 geomagnetic storm could continue until 9am on Saturday (June 6).

Forecasts say the best areas for any aurora sightings tonight could be:

• Scotland, particularly northern and eastern regions where clearer skies are more likely for longer
• Northern Ireland, where brief clearer spells may coincide with peak activity

The Met Office said there is a lower probability for northern England, with cloud cover limiting visibility further south.

The weather agency wrote in a blog post on Friday: “An incoming coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to drive an increase in auroral activity. As of Friday morning, the arrival timing remains uncertain, but there is an expectation of heightened activity developing through the early part of the day.

“If this increase occurs as anticipated, there is potential for the aurora borealis to be visible across Scotland and Northern Ireland, especially where skies remain clear. There is also a smaller chance that northern parts of England could catch a glimpse, although this is more marginal.

“Any enhanced activity may continue into Friday night, before gradually easing. However, forecasts of this nature can change rapidly depending on the precise arrival and strength of solar material interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.”