How to see the Northern Lights in the UK TONIGHT: Aurora Borealis to light up the night sky as a huge solar storm strikes Earth – here’s the best time to see the stunning display in your area

It's something that appears on many people's bucket lists.

And if you've always dreamed of seeing the Northern Lights, make sure to turn your eyes to the sky this evening.

The stunning celestial display will be visible over large parts of the UK, following a coronal mass ejection.

While the northern lights are usually only seen as far north as the UK, the Met Office says they can be seen as far south as Newcastle.

Here's everything you need to know, including how and when to see the Northern Lights from your area.

The northern lights are stunning bands of light that weave across the northern regions of the Earth.

These natural light displays are caused by magnetic storms caused by solar activity, such as explosions from the Sun, known as solar flares, or bubbles of gas ejected from the Sun, known as coronal mass ejections.

During these events, energetic charged particles from the Sun are carried by the solar wind.

“When these particles seep through Earth's magnetosphere, they cause substorms,” NASA explains.

“Then the fast-moving molecules collide with our thin, high atmosphere, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen molecules on Earth.

“As these air molecules give up the energy they picked up from the collision, each atom begins to glow a different color.”

The northern lights will be visible this week from the UK, as a minor coronal mass ejection hits Earth.

The Met Office explained: “Auroral activity should remain at background levels until late Monday 04 or early Tuesday 05 December when the onset of faster solar winds, possibly supported by a minor coronal mass ejection effect, will strengthen the auroral oval again.” .

The northern lights will be visible this week from the UK, as a minor coronal mass ejection hits Earth

If the northern lights appear in the UK, they are usually only seen from the north of Scotland. However, viewers significantly further south may be lucky enough to see them tonight. Pictured: The Northern Lights over Ashnaherd Bay near Lochnifer in Wester Ross

If the northern lights appear in the UK, they are usually only seen from the north of Scotland.

However, viewers significantly further south may be lucky enough to see them tonight.

The Met Office added: “From the UK, it may be possible to see the aurora borealis from as far south as northern England and Northern Ireland where skies are clear.”

“Activity should subside by Wednesday 6 December, with viewing likely limited to the far north of Scotland.”

Unfortunately, the weather forecast doesn't look good for this evening, which could ruin any plans to hunt for the aurora borealis.

Tonight will be “cloudy for many overnight with rain at times”, according to the Met Office.

“Some snow, especially in the northeast, and on top of some hills elsewhere,” she added.

“Clear spells causing frost and ice in the north and northwest.”

If you missed tonight's show, don't worry, there will likely be more next year.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast doesn't look good for this evening, which could ruin any plans to hunt for the aurora borealis.

A study published last week revealed that Earth could reach a “solar maximum” in 2024, when many strange dark spots appear on its surface.

These “sunspots” – which can cluster together and form something like an archipelago – are caused by huge changes in our star's magnetic field.

They also fire violent blasts of energy toward Earth, causing “solar storms” that can damage satellites and disrupt the Internet.

“Of course, they also create beautiful auroras, so we can expect 2024 to be a good year for aurora hunters,” said Dr. Dibyendu Nandy, a physicist from IISER Kolkata Center of Excellence in Space Science in India.

What is the Northern Lights and what triggers the stunning natural displays?

The northern and southern lights are natural spectacles of light projected into our atmosphere and are also known as the “aurora borealis.”

There are two types of aurora borealis: Aurora Borealis, which means “dawn of the north”, and Aurora Australis, “dawn of the south”.

The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the Sun enter the Earth's atmosphere.

There are two types of aurora borealis: Aurora Borealis (archive photo), which means “Northern Dawn”, and Aurora Australis, “Southern Dawn”. The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the Sun enter the Earth's atmosphere

The particles, sometimes referred to as a solar storm, are usually deflected by the Earth's magnetic field.

But during strong storms, they enter the atmosphere and collide with gas molecules, including hydrogen and helium.

These collisions emit light. Creepy displays appear in many colors, although light green and pink are common.