Northern Lights may be visible TONIGHT as a ‘double punch’ of solar storms smash into Earth

A stunning display of the Northern Lights could be on the horizon for many lucky Britons tonight, with a ‘double whammy’ of solar storms set to slam into Earth.

Lucky stargazers from the far south of Newcastle may have the chance to see the colorful aurora that results from a coronal mass ejection (CME).

This consists of a sudden release of plasma from the sun’s corona – the outer part of the atmosphere – which is composed of charged particles.

In a fast wind environment, these move into the Earth’s atmosphere and appear as a vibrant array of colors in the night sky.

The Met Office says the aurora will form over Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the potential to extend over northern England as well.

A spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘The Northern Lights may be enhanced tonight with the arrival of a coronal mass ejection.

‘They will probably reach Scotland, parts of Northern England and Northern Ireland.

“Visibility can be poor for many, however, with cloud cover and rain for many in those regions at night, and just a short window where it’s dark enough as we are in summer.”

While it’s possible this could spread as far south as Newcastle, the Met Office also said it’s difficult to pinpoint specific cities thanks to overnight cloud cover.

Shorter hours of darkness also add to this uncertainty, as the summer solstice occurred just a few weeks ago.

Still, forecasts show that auroras will trot across the UK for three evenings from midnight tonight to July 9.

The Northern Lights are predicted to shine brightest between midnight and 3am tonight, covering not only the UK but also the US East Coast in a horseshoe formation.

They may then head north before circulating back to the UK, with an aurora perhaps seen again tomorrow night between 9pm and midnight.

After that, the northern tip of the UK may get a chance to see the aurora one last time on Saturday/Sunday sometime between 9pm and 3am.

The Northern Lights will then weaken further and slide north over Greenland, the east coast of the US and regions of Russia.

The Northern Lights are predicted to shine brightest between midnight and 3am tonight, covering not only the east coast of the UK, but also the east coast of the US in a horseshoe-shaped formation

The aurora may then move north before circulating back into the UK, with an aurora perhaps visible again tomorrow night between 9pm and midnight

But those south of the world in Australia and New Zealand are unlikely to see the aurora.

This is quite common, as auroras are most likely to be seen from the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple, and the lights are more commonly seen in winter when nights are cold, long, and dark.

The energy and small particles of solar activity travel along the magnetic field lines to the Earth’s poles, so they appear strongest there.

The phenomenon is only seen from further away when this activity is particularly strong.

To see an aurora, a dark, clear sky is a must, as the Northern Lights cannot be seen during the day.

The spectacle doesn’t have to be directly overhead, but can be seen from up to 1,000 km away, provided it shines brightly, according to the national Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

SUNSTORMS ARE A CLEAR DANGER TO ASTRONAUTS AND CAN DAMAGE SATELLITES

Solar stormsor solar activity, can be divided into four main components that can have consequences on Earth:

• Solar flares: A large explosion in the atmosphere of the sun. These flares are made from photons coming directly from the flare site. Solar flares only strike Earth when they occur on the side of the Sun that faces Earth.
• Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs): Large clouds of plasma and magnetic field emanating from the sun. These clouds can erupt in any direction and then continue in that direction, plowing through the solar wind. These clouds only cause impacts on the Earth when they are aimed at the Earth.
• Fast solar wind currents: These come from solar coronal holes, which form all over the sun and usually only when closer to the solar equator do the winds affect the Earth.
• Solar energetic particles: High-energy charged particles believed to be released primarily by shocks formed at the leading edge of coronal mass ejections and solar flares. When a CME cloud plows through the solar wind, solar energetic particles can be produced, and because they are charged, they follow the magnetic field lines between the sun and Earth. Only charged particles that follow magnetic field lines that intersect the Earth will have an impact.

While these may seem dangerous, astronauts are not in immediate danger from these phenomena due to the relatively low orbit of manned missions.

However, they should be concerned about the cumulative exposure during spacewalks.

This picture shows the sun’s coronal holes in an x-ray. The outer solar atmosphere, the corona, is structured by strong magnetic fields, which when closed can cause the atmosphere to suddenly and violently release gas bubbles or tongues and magnetic fields called coronal mass ejections

The damage caused by solar storms

Solar flares can damage satellites and have enormous financial costs.

The charged particles could also threaten airlines by disrupting the Earth’s magnetic field.

Very large flares can even cause currents in power grids and shut down the energy supply.

When coronal mass ejections hit Earth, they cause geomagnetic storms and enhanced aurora.

They can interfere with radio waves, GPS coordinates and overload electrical systems.

A large influx of energy can enter high-voltage grids and permanently damage transformers.

This can shut down businesses and homes around the world.

Source: NASA – Solar Storm and Space Weather