How and where to see a 'breathtaking' Northern Lights display in the UK this weekend

The Northern Lights could put on a 'breathtaking' display overt the weekend (Owen Humphreys/PA) Credit: PA Wire/PA Images

For those who missed the spectacular Northern Lights displays across the country earlier this year, there might be a chance to catch them again this weekend, according to the Met Office.

The Northern Lights could put on a show with recent solar flares creating the potential for a “breathtaking” display, it said.

The display, also known as aurora borealis, is most likely to be visible in Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England over the weekend.

However, there is potential for the lights to be seen further south, as in May this year, due to intense activity on the Sun.

The X9.0 solar flare – seen as a bright flash in the centre of the sun Credit: Nasa/SDO

How to see the aurora

According to the Met Office, “Saturday night has the greatest likelihood of aurora sightings further south, across central England”.

Those keen to catch a glimpse of the shades of green and purple dancing across the sky are most likely to catch the spectacle late at night – usually from 11pm to 12am onwards.

Standing in an elevated, open space will give stargazers the best chance to view the aurora, and the sky will need to be clear as possible.

“Look northwards and try to find a place with dark skies, ideally away from a city where light pollution can interfere with the view,” Silvia Dalla, professor of solar physics at the University of Central Lancashire said.

Staying up to date on the lights’ activity by checking the AuroraWatch website may also help catch the flares.

What causes it?

A large solar flare on Thursday is behind 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 watches the Sun, captured a huge flare – powerful burst of energy – on Thursday.

Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, navigation signals, and pose risks to spacecraft and astronauts.

This flare is classified as an X9.0 flare. According to Nasa, X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.

Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.

Prof Dalla said: “This strong geomagnetic activity results in breath-taking displays of the Northern Lights.

“If we get a repeat of the solar situation we saw in mid-May, we will potentially see more spell-bounding auroral activity across the UK skies.”

Dr Steph Yardley, a space scientist at Northumbria University, said the region of the Sun which has been producing the flares, has been particularly active.

She explained: “This region on the Sun is one to watch as it has been quite active over the past few days, previously producing another strong flare on October 1 that was also associated with a solar eruption.

“Both eruptions associated with the strong flares are Earth-directed and we expect them to impact us sometime between October 4-6, meaning auroras might be visible in Scotland and North England during this period."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...