The northern lights could bring a display across the UK this weekend with recent solar flares creating the potential for a “stunning” display.
Aurora borealis is most likely to be visible in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northern England. However, there is potential for the lights to be seen further south, as in May this yeardue to intense activity on the sun.
The Met Office said: “Saturday night has the greatest likelihood of aurora sightings further south, across central England.”
Those eager to catch a glimpse of the shades of green and purple dancing across the sky are most likely to do so late at night, usually from 11 p.m.
Silvia Dalla, a professor of solar physics at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “To maximize your chances of seeing the aurora, the sky should 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 obstruct the view.”
A large solar flare on Thursday is behind this expected increase in space weather activity. The lights are caused by solar storms that react with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Nasa’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which constantly monitors the sun, captured a major flare – a powerful burst of energy – on Thursday.
Flares and solar flares can affect radio communications, electrical power grids and navigation signals and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.
This torch is classified as an X9.0 torch. According to Nasa, X class indicates the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about their strength.
Dalla said: “Solar flares and rapid coronal mass ejections are large outbursts of plasma and magnetic fields. This strong geomagnetic activity results in breathtaking displays of the northern lights. If we get a repeat of the solar situation we saw in mid-May, we may see more mesmerizing auroral activity across UK skies.
Dr Steph Yardley, a space scientist at Northumbria University, said the region of the sun that caused the flares was particularly active.
“This region on the sun is one to watch as it has been quite active for the past few days, having previously produced another strong flare on October 1 which was also associated with a solar flare,” she said.
“Both bursts associated with the strong flares are aimed at Earth and we expect them to hit us sometime between October 4 and 6, meaning auroras could be visible in Scotland and northern England during this period.”
