Northern Lights to be visible from the UK tonight

People chasing the Northern Lights often flock to the likes of Sweden, Iceland or Finland to try and witness the phenomenon.

But Brits don't need to fork out on a flight to get a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis, as they are making a rare appearance in UK skies this evening.

So, get your flasks and big coats at the ready for a long night sat on the doorstep - if your a fan of the incredible display and want to catch it on your home turf.

The Northern Lights are one of the most extraordinary spectacles of nature that some of us are lucky enough to experience.

The sky is literally lit up with waves of green, purple or red, and although those colours are hard to miss, sometimes the weather isn't always playing ball and clouds can obstruct your view.

The further north you are, the better - whether in the UK or elsewhere. But thankfully, you've still got a few hours to decide on your viewing point.

The aurora is best observed in a dark place, away from any light pollution such as street lights, and ideally with a cloud-free sky.

The Met Office told Brits to brace for a Northern Lights display a few weeks ago, as crazy weather conditions in space have brought about powerful geomagnetic storms.

Peter Summers/Getty Images

Ever wondered how the whole lighting up the sky thing actually works, though?

Basically, the natural phenomenon is the result of a 'coronal mass ejection', which the Met Office explains is the large expulsion of plasma from the sun's corona.

When these energised particles hit our atmosphere, it creates the aurora.

"Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are huge bubbles of coronal plasma threaded by intense magnetic field lines that are ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours. CMEs often look like huge, twisted rope, which scientists call 'flux rope,'" NASA added.

Now, as the Earth has recently been battered by vibrant expulsions from the sun, Brits have ended up coming up trumps.

Getty Stock Photos

The Met Office said the aurora should be visible tonight with the naked eye, as far south as Dundee.

People even further south can still join in the fun too, as they may be able to view them by snapping pictures with a decent camera.

A Met Office spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "Cameras help as the long exposure allows loads of light in and enhances the colours more than the human eye can see.

"That is why you see pictures as far south as Cornwall sometimes though you’re unlikely to ever be able to see it with the naked eye that far south.

"Of course there is a much better chance of seeing anything away from urban areas due to light pollution."

Topics: Weather, Space, Science, UK News, Environment

Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

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