Northern Lights in UK TONIGHT - best time to see aurora borealis in night sky

People across the UK may be lucky enough to tonight, the has confirmed.

Skywatchers in the far north of the country have been told to keep an eye out for the beautiful phenomenon, usually seen over the likes of Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Norway and Finland. Given the right conditions however, an aurora borealis can be seen further south to Europe - which it seems is a possibility this very evening. A Coronal Mass Ejection has been forecast which means there is a "strong" chance for people in seeing it - and it may extend hundreds of miles so people in the south of England can see it too.

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The Met Office said on X: "A Coronal Mass Ejection is forecast to arrive on earth, potentially giving opportunities to see the Northern Lights. Strong auroral activity is possible in northern Scotland, but even southern England could catch a glimpse in any cloud breaks."

The best time to spot the aurora borealis in Britain would be between 11pm and 2am, it added.

The Met Office shared a map showing where has the best chance to see it tonight, stretching from Scotland - unless of course clouds get in the way. For skies not covered by clouds, people may have a very chance of seeing the impressive sight before the night is out.

Last year experts said there could be in 2025. Elizabeth J McGrath, from Colby College, said: “The sun has been very active recently, and we expect it to continue through 2025.

"Normally we only see the aurora at locations close to Earth’s magnetic north and south poles because charged particles from the sun get trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field and funnelled to the poles.

"With stronger solar storms during solar maximum, there are more charged particles from the sun, and when these particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field, they can be distributed farther from Earth’s north and south magnetic poles, reaching more southerly latitudes here on Earth.”