The Northern Lights are set to be visible in parts of the UK once again, according to the Met Office.

Stargazers across the country have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, on several occasions already in 2024.

The most recent reports of Northern Lights activity came earlier this week.

Brits are set to get another chance to see what is described as "one of the most spectacular displays in the night sky" overnight on Thursday and Friday (September 12 and 13), according to Met Office forecasts.

Best time to see the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights may be visible in parts of the UK overnight on Thursday and Friday (September 12 and 13), according to the Met Office.

The Met Office Space Weather forecast reads: "The auroral oval is likely to become enhanced during the period.

"A coronal mass ejection (CME) is forecast to arrive at Earth Thursday night into Friday.

"Aurora sightings may become visible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England and similar geomagnetic latitudes."

Best places to see the Northern Lights in the UK

According to the Space Weather forecast from the Met Office, the best spots to see the Northern Lights on Thursday night/Friday morning (September 12 and 13) and Friday night/Saturday morning (September 13 and 14) are:

  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Northern England

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What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth's atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.

Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most common gases in the atmosphere, with nitrogen emitting purple, blue and pink colours and oxygen emitting green.