To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

There's another chance to spot the Northern Lights tonight as Met Office reveals best UK places to see them

Home> News> UK News> Weather

There's another chance to spot the Northern Lights tonight as Met Office reveals best UK places to see them

It won't be your best chance but it will be a chance

If you've been hoping to spot the Northern Lights then tonight might be your lucky night, depending heavily upon where you are in the UK and what sort of weather conditions there are.

It's not most nights that Brits can look upwards and see lights dancing across the sky but tonight (13 March) is one of them.

In their space weather forecast the Met Office has said that geomagnetic storms meant certain Brits could be able to see an aurora, though for those down south the odds weren't looking great.

They are called the Northern Lights, after all.

The Met Office said: "The auroral oval is expected to be enhanced through 12 March through until early 14 March due to geomagnetic storms. Aurora is likely to be visible from Scotland and similar geomagnetic latitudes."

They are the Northern Lights, so Scotland will be the place to see them tonight (Ahmet Fevzi Arican/Anadolu via Getty Images)
They are the Northern Lights, so Scotland will be the place to see them tonight (Ahmet Fevzi Arican/Anadolu via Getty Images)

So, if you're to the south of Scotland then you're going to be out of luck in tracking down the Northern Lights, unless you fancy taking a bit of a trek.

The best time to see them tonight appears to be around midnight.

Knowing when and where to look is only half the battle, the rest of it involves giving yourself the best shot of spotting the lights by knowing how to look.

You'll need a dark sky clear of any clouds, so as not to block your view of the sky, and you should be away from any sources of light pollution for the best chance of seeing them.

On top of that, you'll want to be facing north (once again, the clue is in the name) and ideally be facing towards the coastline as well.

A few hours after the Northern Lights there'll be a chance to view a partial lunar eclipse (Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A few hours after the Northern Lights there'll be a chance to view a partial lunar eclipse (Muhammed Selim Korkutata/Anadolu via Getty Images)

If you were wondering who should be doing the looking then that's you, and as for the 'why' then that's up to you do decide, but it's probably because they look nice.

Remember to wrap up warm to fend off the chill of the March night, and if you're a very dedicated stargazer who is fortunate enough to see the Northern Lights then you might also be interested in the upcoming lunar eclipse.

That's the one where the moon falls into the Earth's shadow ,and in the early hours of 14 March, just a few hours after the best time to view the Northern Lights, people will be able to see the eclipse.

This cosmic event will only be partially visible in the UK, and if the weather is clear, then Brits will be able to see the eclipse between 3:57am on 14 March and moonset at 6:22am shortly afterwards.

Because of the lunar eclipse the moon could end up looking red.

Featured Image Credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

Topics: UK News, Weather, Space

Choose your content: