The Northern Lights will be seen across the UK tonight – the ‘best place’ in the UK to see them

The exact time you could see the aurora borealis light up UK skies tonight has been revealed – and the best place to see it. Pink and green streaks of light were seen across the UK and parts of Europe on Sunday evening.

Sunday night, for those willing to stay up late, could be rewarded if they live in the northern half of Scotland. The Met Office’s space weather map shows the northern lights can be seen around midnight in northern Scotland.

Observing the Aurora Borealis is possible due to a solar storm aimed at Earth, caused by powerful eruptions known as coronal mass ejections, could trigger spectacular displays of auroras. Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said people should head to an area with low light pollution and use a good camera.

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“The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you’re away from street lights and areas with a lot of light pollution, because any type of light has a big effect,” he said. “Also, at this time of year, we’re struggling with the shorter nights, so they’re unlikely to be visible until around 10.30pm or 11am, when it really gets dark.”

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. In the Northern Hemisphere, most of this activity takes place in a band known as the auroral oval, which covers latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.

When the activity is strong, it expands to cover a larger area, which explains why displays can occasionally be seen as far south as the UK. “For most people here on planet Earth, they won’t have to do anything,” said Rob Steenburgh, a scientist at Noaa’s space weather center.

“This really is the gift from space weather – the aurora.”