Northern lights expected to return to British skies this weekend | Northern lights

The Northern Lights could put on a spectacle across the UK this weekend, with recent solar flares offering the potential for a “stunning” display.

Aurora Borealis is most likely to be seen in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England. However, there is a possibility that the lights could be seen further south, like in May this year, due to intense solar activity.

The Met Office said: “Saturday evening will see the greatest chance of aurora sightings further south, across central England.”

If you want to catch a glimpse of the greens and purples dancing in the sky, the best time to do so is late at night, usually after 11 p.m.

Silvia Dalla, Professor of Solar Physics at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “To maximize your chances of seeing the Northern Lights, the sky needs to be as clear as possible. Look north and try to find a place with dark skies, ideally away from a city where light pollution can reduce visibility.”

A large solar flare on Thursday is the reason for this expected increase in space weather activity. The lights are caused by solar storms reacting with gases in Earth's atmosphere.

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly monitors the sun, captured a huge flare – a powerful burst of energy – on Thursday.

Flares and solar flares can affect radio communications, power grids and navigation signals, posing a danger to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare has been classified as an X9.0 flare. According to NASA, the X class denotes the most intense bursts, while the number provides further information about their strength.

Dalla said: “Solar flares and rapid coronal mass ejections are large ejections of plasma and magnetic fields. This strong geomagnetic activity results in breathtaking northern lights. If we experience a repeat of the solar situation we saw in mid-May, we may see more fascinating aurora activity in the British sky.”

Dr. Steph Yardley, a space scientist at Northumbria University, said the region of the sun that produced the flares was particularly active.

“This region of the Sun is one to keep an eye on as it has been quite active in recent days and previously caused another strong outburst on October 1, which was also associated with a solar outburst,” she said.

“Both associated strong outbursts are Earth-directed and we expect them to hit us sometime between October 4th and 6th, meaning auroras could be visible in Scotland and northern England during this period .”