Look up tonight! The Northern Lights will light up the sky as far as Newcastle as a massive coronal mass ejection hits Earth. Will this dazzling display be visible from where you live?

After a sensational meteor shower, stargazers get another chance to witness an astronomical wonder.

From around midnight tonight, the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, should be visible to the naked eye.

According to the British Meteorological Office, people in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland can witness the colourful light show.

People as far south as Newcastle, Belfast and the Isle of Man could see it by looking north after sunset, but it should be visible outside the UK too.

People who live too far south may be able to capture the colorful streams of light with their smartphone camera, even if they can’t see it themselves.

According to the Met Office, people with a good camera should be able to take pictures of the Northern Lights even if they are not visible to the naked eye.

Look north if you are in the Northern Hemisphere (or south if you are in the Southern Hemisphere) and set your camera accordingly.

“Cameras help because the long exposure time lets in a lot of light and enhances the colors more than the human eye can see,” a spokesperson said.

‘That’s why you sometimes see photos of landscapes as far south as Cornwall, when you probably can’t see them that far south with the naked eye.’

According to the Met Office, it is likely that the Northern Lights will only be visible in Scotland and parts of northern England, but limited darkness may prevent this.

“As for visibility, cloud cover will increase from the west during the night, but this will be slow. Only after midnight will cloud cover increase significantly in the western areas,” the spokesman said.

The aurora borealis is caused by disturbances in the Earth’s magnetosphere (the system of magnetic fields) as a result of strong activity on the Sun.

Tonight’s aurora is the result of a coronal mass ejection (CME), a huge expulsion of plasma from the sun’s corona, the outermost layer of the sun.

The high-energy particles traveled from the Sun to us at hundreds of kilometers per second, before bombarding our magnetosphere – better known as a “solar storm.”

At this point, some of the energy and small particles can travel through the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into our planet’s atmosphere.

There the particles react with the gases in our atmosphere, resulting in beautiful light phenomena in the sky: the northern lights.

Oxygen emits green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple.

Although the aurora particles are not dangerous to humans, they can damage power grids on Earth and satellites in space, potentially causing internet outages.

The Met Office has unveiled the Aurora Oval: the ring-shaped range of auroral activity that determines where the Northern Lights will be most visible.

“The ongoing impact of coronal mass ejection (CME) will continue until August 12,” a statement said.

This will result in minor to moderate geomagnetic storm periods and the Northern Lights may be visible in parts of Scotland, and possibly also in northern England and Northern Ireland, where skies are clear until the early hours.

Further improvement is possible for similar areas in the early morning hours of the 13th, with further CME influences possible before auroral activity likely returns to background levels.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere – where it is known as aurora australis – the display should be visible as far north as Tasmania and New Zealand’s South Island, “where the air is clear”.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the best chances of seeing the northern lights tonight in North America are in Canada and Alaska.

People in northern parts of Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin may also see the event, although the weather forecast will be weaker.

NOAA has rated it ‘G3’ (on a scale of one to five), meaning it could disrupt energy systems on Earth and spacecraft in space.

“Surface charging may occur on satellite components, air drag may increase on satellites in low Earth orbit, and corrections may be required for orientation problems,” the report said.

The Northern Lights can often be seen somewhere on Earth just after sunset or just before sunrise, but are not visible during the day.

The best way to admire the magnificent scenes is to find a dark spot, away from light pollution such as street lights and preferably a cloudless sky.

Some of the best places to see the Northern Lights in the UK are at high altitude (closer to the magnetosphere) and away from cities that pollute the air with artificial lights.

These Northern Lights hotspots include the Lake District in Cumbria, Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, the Shetland Islands and Whitley Bay in North Tyneside.