Brits saw a stunning Northern Lights display take over the sky in some parts of the UK last night (Thursday March 23).
A geomagnetic storm meant stargazers were treated to the colourful light display by looking up towards the sky. Locations with lower light pollution were likely to get the best view, meaning your chances of catching the display were better if you lived rurally rather than in the city centre.
Sightings were reported in parts of Scotland, North Wales and the North East of England. But if you missed the display last night, then you could be in luck again today.
The Met Office said there is a slight chance the aurora borealis could be visible in northern parts of the UK again today, although it is likely to be modest. A Met Office spokesperson said: "Last night we saw the northern lights across much of the UK, and the reason is because of a geomagnetic storm high up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
"The cause of this storm is the arrival of two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that left the sun several days ago. These powerful blasts of plasma arrived at Earth late yesterday, causing geomagnetic storms and allowed the northern lights to visible across large parts of the country overnight.
"Whilst the effects of these CMEs are likely to wane today, there is also the potential for the arrival of a fast solar wind from another feature on the sun known as a coronal hole later today. Whilst the geomagnetic storming from this is likely to be more modest, it may allow the aurora to be visible once again, predominantly across northern parts of the UK.
"The increase in solar activity is expected as we move towards the maximum of the solar cycle, and is not unusual".
The aurora is most active in March and April and then again in September and October. It can often be spotted on clear nights, but cloudy conditions have left stargazers disappointed on recent occasions.
At the end of February, hopeful Mancunians struggled to spot the Northern Lights, although some said they could see the colours through breaks in the cloud.
However, one lucky group got to see the display as they flew home from Iceland to Manchester Airport. One couple on board the flight, who were celebrating their engagement, were delighted to see the lights after failing to catch them during their romantic stay in Reykjavik.
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