Northern Lights could be visible as far south as London tonight

Stargazers may have the chance to witness the northern lights tonight and tomorrow, with the display potentially visible as far south as London.

A powerful solar storm is currently heading towards Earth, increasing the likelihood of the aurora borealis being seen across parts of the UK over the next few nights.

The Met Office shared an update on X, stating: “A coronal mass ejection from the sun is heading towards Earth. While there is some uncertainty about its exact arrival time, sightings of the #aurora are likely in northern regions, with a slight chance in southern areas as well.” They also posted a map showing where the lights are expected to be visible on Thursday and Friday. The display is predicted to peak around 10 p.m. on Thursday and between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Friday.

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, typically appear as vast areas of color, including pale green, pink, shades of red, yellow, blue, and violet, most visible in the northern sky. They are best seen in dark areas away from light pollution. There is hope for another impressive show in London, following rare sightings of the lights in May and August.

In August, the northern lights were visible in London during the Perseid meteor shower, which lit up the skies across the UK. Some who witnessed the lights in the capital found that they were more visible when viewed through their phone cameras.

According to the Met Office, the northern lights are typically best seen in Scotland, northern England, North Wales, and Northern Ireland. However, under specific space weather conditions—such as a strong geomagnetic storm—the aurora can be visible across the entire UK.

This natural light display is caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field. The colors seen in the sky depend on which molecules the charged particles come into contact with.

So good luck catching the phenomena…