Why the Northern Lights were visible over the UK last night

Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said there was a possibility of auroras being visible across parts of the UK on Thursday night into the early hours of Friday, though the exact timing remained uncertain.

He explained, "Once it reaches Earth, auroras are likely to be seen in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with a chance of sightings in northern England and possibly further south." Dixon added that even in the Midlands, a camera with a long exposure might capture some of the auroras. "The further north you are, the better the visibility."

He also noted, "We're approaching the peak of the solar cycle, so there have been more space weather events recently. International prediction centres, including the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre, expect the solar maximum to occur later this year or early next year."