The northern lights might be visible in parts of the UK again on Saturday after the rare phenomenon was spotted across the country overnight.
An “extreme” geomagnetic storm caused the lights, also known as aurora borealis, to be more visible on Friday evening – delighting millions of people across the northern hemisphere.
And for those who missed out, a second chance could arise.
Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said there were sightings “from top to tail across the country”.
Looking ahead to Saturday night, he said: “It is hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be enhanced solar activity tonight, so the lights could be visible again in northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England.”
He advised those hoping to see the lights on Saturday to head to an area with low light pollution and to use a good camera.
“The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are away from street lights and areas with lots of light pollution, as any type of light does have a big effect,” he said.
“Also, at this time of year, we are fighting the shorter length of nights, so it is unlikely that they will be visible until around 10.30pm or 11 o’clock when it gets really dark.”
Sightings in southern parts of the UK would be less likely on Saturday, although Snell said the lights might be visible through a strong camera lens.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.
When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area, which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.
