Seeing the Northern Lights is a true bucket list item for any keen stargazer.
But budding astronomers won’t need to trek to the Arctic Circle this evening to catch a glimpse of the stunning display this evening.
The Met Office forecasts that the aurora will light up the sky over huge parts of the UK tonight.
As a solar storm strikes Earth, the Northern Lights will be visible over Scotland, Northern Ireland, and even as far south as parts of northern England.
This comes as Earth is buffeted by a huge cloud of charged particles and magnetic fields ejected from the Sun known as a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).
The passage of this solar eruption has triggered a ‘moderate’, or G2, geomagnetic storm above Earth, leading to enhanced auroral activity.
Although you won’t need any special equipment to see this celestial show, experts say that a digital or smartphone camera can help to capture colours hidden to the naked eye.
However, with yellow thunderstorm warnings in force for Northern England and much of Scotland, spending too long outside is not advised unless the weather permits it in your area.
Star gazers will be in for a treat this evening as the Northern Lights illuminate the sky above the UK. Pictured: The Northern Lights over Stone Henge earlier this year
The Met Office forecasts a moderate geomagnetic storm that will bring the aurora as far south as Northern England
According to the Met Office, strong geomagnetic storms have led to increased auroral activity throughout the day today, with activity expected to persist into the early hours of the morning.
With clear skies, the aurora may be visible as far south as northern English towns such as Manchester, Leeds, and Hull.
Zoe Hutin, a Met Office spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Enhanced geomagnetic activity is expected tonight, which may provide an opportunity to view the aurora in Scotland, perhaps Northern Ireland, and parts of northern England.
‘The greatest chance of seeing the aurora is in the far north of Scotland, specifically the Shetland Islands, and the northern Highlands, where some clear spells are likely around midnight.’
However, they also point out that short night hours will make it more difficult to see the Northern Lights.
Since the aurora can be faint at lower latitudes, you will need to wait until the sun has fully set before it is visible.
With the midsummer solstice just weeks away, the sun will not set tonight until 21:19 BST so viewing will be best closer to midnight.
Dr Edward Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, told MailOnline: ‘Aurorae are generally faint, and transitory. The best thing to do is to make your eyes as sensitive as possible, which means getting away from other sources of light.
The aurora caused by this geomagnetic storm will be best seen around midnight when the skies are at their darkest
To get the best view of the Northern Lights, head somewhere away from light pollution and give plenty of time for your eyes to adjust. Pictured: The Northern Lights over Whitley Bay, England in March
‘Your eyes take time to adjust, roughly half an hour for best sensitivity, so try to get somewhere dark, and avoid the temptation to check your phone.’
However, if you have let your eyes adjust to the darkness and still can’t see anything it might be worth trying to take a photo with your smartphone camera.
‘Most cameras can control exposure time and sensitivity to collect more light and present it as a single image,’ says Dr Bloomer.
This means they can often reveal the colours of the aurora even when they aren’t fully visible.
Dr Bloomer adds: ‘The camera lens and sensor don’t work exactly the same way as the human eye, so their sensitivity and recreation of colour won’t be exactly the same- though it might be close.
‘You may notice, for example, that if you take pictures of the aurora the red components seem more vibrant than you were able to see with the naked eye.’
If you are planning to go looking for the aurora tonight make sure to carefully check the weather forecast for your area.
The Met Office has issued yellow storm warnings covering most of England and Scotland from midnight tonight, with amber warnings given for the southeast coast as far north as Norwich.
However, the Met Office does not advise spending too much time outside with heavy rain (left) and thunderstorms (right) forecast for much of the country
Ms Hutin says: ‘Given this forecast, spending extended periods outdoors overnight is not advised.’
Likewise, with cloud cover forecast over much of the UK, it is worth checking the weather to see if good views will be available.
But, even if you do miss tonight’s display there is no need to worry as more opportunities are on the way.
Professor Malcolm Fairbairn, of King’s College London, told MailOnline: ‘Aurora take place when the Sun sends charged particles – electrons and protons – across the solar system, this is known as the solar wind.
‘When these charged particles encounter the Earth, some of them travel down the poles and create light as they accelerate in the Earth’s magnetic field and interact with our atmosphere, this light is what Aurora are.’
At the moment the sun is extremely active because it is at a point of its 11-year cycle called the solar maximum.
This occurs when the sun’s north and south magnetic poles flip, causing disturbances in the solar surface that lead to more eruptions of solar material.
This period also comes along with a larger number of dark sun spots, less dense regions of the solar corona which appear dark because they are cool.
There will be more opportunities to come as a huge cool region of the sun (pictured) sends a gust of solar wind towards Earth, leading to further geomagnetic storms on Saturday
Charged particles are able to escape from these cool areas as a stream of material known as solar wind.
Professor Fairburn adds: ‘A big gust of solar wind is arriving right now which may lead to Aurora, more visible the more North one is.’
This gust is being generated by a vast hole in the sun’s outer layers which has rotated to face Earth, unleashing a high-speed form of wind called a Coronal Hole High-Speed Stream.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts that this will trigger another moderate, G2, geomagnetic storm starting from Saturday afternoon.
This should lead to some even stronger auroral activity that will be visible over the UK, particularly across northern Scotland.
WHAT IS THE SOLAR CYCLE?
The Sun is a huge ball of electrically-charged hot gas that moves, generating a powerful magnetic field.
This magnetic field goes through a cycle, called the solar cycle.
Every 11 years or so, the Sun’s magnetic field completely flips, meaning the sun’s north and south poles switch places.
The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, such as sunspots which are caused by the Sun’s magnetic fields.
Every 11 years the Sun’s magnetic field flips, meaning the Sun’s north and south poles switch places. The solar cycle affects activity on the surface of the Sun, increasing the number of sunspots during stronger (2001) phases than weaker (1996/2006) ones
One way to track the solar cycle is by counting the number of sunspots.
The beginning of a solar cycle is a solar minimum, or when the Sun has the least sunspots. Over time, solar activity – and the number of sunspots – increases.
The middle of the solar cycle is the solar maximum, or when the Sun has the most sunspots.
As the cycle ends, it fades back to the solar minimum and then a new cycle begins.
Giant eruptions on the Sun, such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections, also increase during the solar cycle.
These eruptions send powerful bursts of energy and material into space that can have effects on Earth.
For example, eruptions can cause lights in the sky, called aurora, or impact radio communications and electricity grids on Earth.
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