Northern Lights should be visible again tonight as Met Office says '90 per cent chance'

Jon Macpherson
·2-min read
The Northern Lights were visible over Penwortham last weekend
The Northern Lights were visible over Penwortham last weekend -Credit:Damian Kitt


The Northern Lights might dazzle us once more tonight, as the Met Office has issued a "90 per cent" chance alert for another spectacular show.

This comes after a bit of a let down over the weekend, but things are looking up with potential displays over parts of the UK on Monday night (May 20) at 9pm. The Met Office has forecasted: "No significant space weather activity is expected on Sunday night into Monday (19-20 May), with aurora sightings unlikely.

"An enhancement to the aurora may occur on Monday night (20-21 May) following the possible arrival of a coronal mass ejection (CME) that left the sun late Friday 17 May. Following any CME arrival aurora may become visible, where skies are clear, across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a slight chance that views of the aurora may also be possible from northern England and North Wales."

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Following this auroral activity is expected to decline, although confidence is lower than usual however and some slight enhancement to the aurora at times can't be ruled out."

Met Office space weather expert Krista Hammond said: "The sunspot region will be be coming back round onto the Earth facing side of the sun. We're currently at solar maximum and we're seeing more sunspots."

Ms Hammond was speaking out after the aurora was seen last weekend across the country, with Brits seeing the phenomenon in the skies above them on Friday and Saturday, May 10 and May 11.

She said: "If we see more sunspots, we see this increased frequency in space weather and therefore the aurora." She went on: "It was such a unique set of circumstances that happened last weekend.

"The chances of the same sunspots doing the same thing again - It's probably quite slim. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes around and there's some activity on it, but it won't be I doubt, a repeat performance."

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