Northern Lights could be visible in Scotland tonight

THE Northern Lights could be visible in parts of Scotland tonight, the Met Office has said.

The weather organisation said Scots in eastern counties will have the best chance to see the rare phenomenon on Wednesday evening.

The Northern Lights may also be visible in the north west of Scotland later in the night as skies begin to clear following a spell of rain.

There's another chance to see the aurora across parts of Scotland tonight ✨ Eastern counties will have the best opportunity during the evening, with skies clearing slightly in the northwest later in the night after rain moves through pic.twitter.com/KIb5vHysx6

— Met Office (@metoffice) March 26, 2025

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, is mainly influenced by geomagnetic storms which originate from activity on the Sun.

(Image: Dawid Lawdzin) Sunspots – cooler, darker areas on the Sun's surface caused by intense magnetic activity – give the potential for Earth-directed releases of large bursts of energy, called coronal mass ejections, which can lead to aurora visibility.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.