The Northern Lights might light up the skies across parts of Britain for a second night after experts issued a “red alert”.
The app Aurorawatch, which is run by Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University, issued the alert meaning auroras are “likely” tonight, while the Met Office has forecast that auroras will continue, confined to more northerly areas.
People in northern latitudes might be able to see Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, as particles from the sun hit the Earth, the Met Office said: “The solar winds remain very strong and turbulent before waning Monday night into Tuesday.”
What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, make the sky glow green and purple and are typically visible from areas in the northern parts of the British Isles.
The phenomenon occurs when particles from the sun – known as solar wind – strike particles in our atmosphere.
They’re known as aurora (meaning ‘dawn’) because the glow they cause resembles the morning light.
NASA explains: “When energetic particles from space collide with atoms and molecules in the atmosphere, they can cause the colourful glow that we call auroras.”
What caused the Northern Lights this week?
This week’s Northern Lights were caused by an eruption on the sun known as a coronal mass ejection, which hurls particles into space from the sun.
The Met Office explains: “Earth is under the influence of a coronal mass ejection that arrived during the UTC morning of 01 Jun and which saw significant enhancements to the auroral oval.”
Coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, are large clouds of solar plasma and magnetic fields released into space after a solar eruption.
Stretching over millions of miles, they cause the dazzling light display when they hit Earth’s atmosphere.
Will you be able to see them tonight?
The Northern Lights could once again sparkle in the sky over Britain on Tuesday, but it’s likely to be confined to areas such as Scotland, according to the Met Office.
The Met Office says: “The activity may last during the early hours of Monday as the solar winds remain very strong and turbulent before waning Monday night into Tuesday.
There’s a chance of seeing the #aurora tonight, possibly as far south as the Midland and Wales ✨
Most likely though, the #northernlights will be visible for Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland, where clear skies allow 👇 pic.twitter.com/KMbsFa4aAB
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 1, 2025
“While aurora sightings are possible down to central parts of the UK and similar latitudes at first, they will become progressively confined to Northern Ireland and Scotland. Short hours of darkness may limit any viewing though.”
How best to see them?
The best time and place to view the Northern Lights are in areas away from light pollution (ie outside of urban areas) and facing north.
North-facing coasts produce some of the best locations to view the northern lights.
The Met Office says that the best time to view is when the sky is completely dark and clear of any clouds.
Your mobile phone’s camera is probably able to ‘see’ the Northern Lights far better than you – so even if they are faint for you, you might capture spectacular shots, especially if using Night Mode.
Modern mobile phone cameras have excellent low-light sensitivity, due to demand for photos in bars and clubs.
On iPhone, Night Mode should activate automatically in low-light conditions (you’ll see a yellow icon on screen).
