This weekend the skies above Britain were illuminated by the Northern Lights as a rare solar storm swept across the planet.
But if you’ve missed anything in recent days, experts say there’s still a chance to see this incredible natural wonder again soon.
Dr. Greg Brown, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline that the sun is currently in a period of particularly intense activity.
Although Mr Brown emphasizes how difficult these events are to predict, this solar activity could reignite the Northern Lights over Britain this week or early next week.
Dr. Brown says: “There are signs that another storm is approaching in the coming days, which could strengthen the aurora again.”
If you missed this weekend’s stunning display of the Northern Lights pictured here over Shropshire, experts say there could be a third chance soon
Although this weekend’s solar storm is already subsiding, Dr. Brown says there are early signs that another one is on the way.
Dr. Brown explains: ‘We are currently at solar maximum, when the Sun is most active and solar flares, sunspots and coronal mass ejections are most common.
“While we remain at the highest point of the sun, the chance of a solar storm remains quite high.”
However, it is also ‘notoriously difficult’ to predict solar storms accurately due to the volatile and complex nature of the Sun’s outer layers.
Dr. Brown says this makes it “almost impossible” to know exactly when the next storm might hit.
The solar storm that made the Northern Lights visible as far south as Suffolk (pictured) is already waning, but there are signs a new storm is on its way
The brilliant colors of the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are caused by charged particles from the Sun colliding with Earth’s atmosphere.
Normally, these particles are carried towards the north and south poles by the planet’s magnetic field, so the lights are only visible at extreme latitudes.
However, during events called coronal mass ejections, enormous amounts of plasma are catapulted from the outer layers of the Sun.
When these waves hit Earth, they create geomagnetic storms that make the Northern Lights brighter and more visible further south – as was the case this weekend.
Earth is currently experiencing more geomagnetic storms due to natural cycles in the sun’s activity.
Dr. Brown explains: ‘In the longer term, we can use the sun’s activity cycle to predict general trends in solar storms.
‘The sun goes through a roughly eleven-year cycle of changing activity.’
Solar activity is notoriously difficult to predict. As seen in today’s extreme ultraviolet image, the Sun’s outer layers are a complex system of plasma and magnetic fields
Since we are currently at the peak of our activity, the types of coronal mass ejections that cause the Northern Lights are more likely.
But even at the height of the sun’s 11-year cycle, another spectacular light show is far from guaranteed.
G5-class storms, like the one over the weekend, are rare, even during solar maximums, with the last one occurring more than two decades ago.
Dr. Brown says: ‘The Northern Lights are relatively common in the northernmost parts of Scotland, with sightings every few months, meaning parts of Britain see the aurora quite often.
“However, the rarity of the most recent displays stems from how far south they reached and how intense they were.”
Meanwhile, the Met Office predicts that a smaller wave of solar material is already on its way to Earth.
While not a major solar storm like last weekend’s, this coronal mass ejection could result in the Northern Lights being visible to a few people tonight.
A spokesperson for the Met Office told MailOnline: ‘A further coronal mass ejection could hit Earth today, creating the potential for aurora activity throughout Monday evening.’
We are currently at a peak of solar activity in the sun’s 11-year cycle, so the chance of another storm is higher than normal. Even still, it is difficult to predict when the next storm will be big enough to ignite the Northern Lights over southern England (photo above Shropshire)
However, they add that ‘this is likely to be significantly less than in recent days, with possible sightings mainly in the north of Scotland, although rain and cloud will obscure visibility for many here.’
As the Sun moves away from the peak of its solar cycle, volatile activity and coronal mass ejections will also become less likely.
Dr. Brown says, “In a few years, the sun will be well on its way to becoming quiet again and the likelihood of extreme aurora events will decrease significantly until the next cycle in about a decade.”
But while this may be bad news for hopeful sky watchers, it could be reassuring for those who rely on global satellite communications and navigation systems.
The Met Office told MailOnline that a smaller coronal mass ejection should hit Earth today, making the Northern Lights visible over parts of Scotland. But these are unlikely to reach as far south as Kingston upon Thames (pictured) as they did on Saturday
The same particles that make the sky glow also impart an electrical charge to layers of the atmosphere, making it difficult for radio signals to pass through.
In some cases this can cause short radio blackouts as high frequency signals are absorbed.
The impact of solar storms also causes the atmosphere to expand further into space.
This pushes satellites into low Earth orbits into air resistance, slowing them down like athletes trying to suddenly encounter headwinds.
In fact, major storms can create such large electrical charges that they can enter Earth’s power grids and cause power outages.
In 2003, a G5 (Extreme) solar storm caused power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa.
However, the effect of this weekend’s solar activity was quite limited, apart from widespread disruption to the GPS systems of John Deere tractors.