Met Office reveals exact time UK could see the Northern Lights tonight

The Met Office has revealed the exact times parts of the UK could see the Northern Lights tonight. A severe solar storm could mean that the aurora borealis could be visible across the country, including as far south as London, for the next few nights.

The Northern Lights, formally known as an aurora, are caused by activity on the surface of the sun and are usually only visible in the poles or surrounding area.

Stargazers in the UK could be in for a rare treat over the next few nights, (Friday and Saturday) with the phenomenon potentially reaching the south of England by the weekend.

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Forecasters said sightings of the lights were also likely on Thursday in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and possible in the north of England and the Midlands. Relatively clear skies forecast for much of the UK, will create a 'decent chance of visibility', the Met Office said.

A spokesperson said there had been 'more space weather events in recent months', including the Northern Lights, because the sun was nearing the peak of its solar cycle.

A new map, shared by the Met Office, shows which parts of the UK will be most likely to get a glimpse of the lights, with parts of Scotland likely to see the aurora from around 9pm on Thursday (October 10), with other parts of the UK also in with a chance into the early hours of Friday morning.

The Met Office said in a post on X said: “A coronal mass ejection from the sun is earth bound and whilst there’s some uncertainty on its arrival time, sightings of the #aurora are likely in northern areas with a slight chance in the south too.”

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said there was a chance of some visible auroras across parts of the UK on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday. He added that there was still 'some uncertainty' as to when exactly the auroras would be visible.

He said: “When it does reach Earth, there are likely aurora sightings in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a chance of some sightings in the north of England and slightly further south.

“Even in the Midlands too, if you’ve got a camera with particularly long exposure that can highlight some of the auroras that are happening overhead. The further north you are, the more likely you are to get good visibility.”

“In terms of cloud cover overnight, there are relatively clear skies for much of the UK, so there is a decent chance of visibility. The exception to that is in parts of the west of Scotland, where there’s still some showers and some more patchy clouds around.”

Mr Dixon said rain and cloud would also obscure some viewing potential this weekend, meaning Thursday night was the 'main focus in terms of any aurora visibility'.

He added: "We’re near the peak of that solar cycle so there have been more space weather events in recent months. International prediction centres, including the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre, are expecting solar maximum to be later this year or early next year.”