The lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, stunned the nation last year, with dazzling light displays being visible as far south as Dorset, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire.
Increasing numbers of displays have been spotted in the UK, with more of the country being able to take in the spectacular sights.
Now, the Met Office has predicted a chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight.
Northern Lights UK: Met Office predicts visibility tonight
On the arrival of the Northern Lights to the UK, the Met Office said: “A Coronal Mass Ejection arrived during the morning of June 1 and saw a significant enhancement in geomagnetic activity.
“Geomagnetic activity is expected to continue into the evening and overnight, with aurora sightings possible down to central parts of the UK and similar latitudes, dependent on the ongoing activity maintaining its strength.
“Geomagnetic activity is then expected to decline by June 3.”
In terms of the visibility of the Northern Lights in the UK, the Met said there is a chance it will continue into the evening, with aurora sightings “possible into the hours of darkness, where clear skies allow”.
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
It said that the Northern Lights may be visible “as far south as the Midlands”, but will be visible in Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.
How are the Northern Lights visible in the UK?
Krista Hammond, a Manager at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), said: “Activity on the sun, and in particular the number of visible sunspots, varies over roughly an 11-year period, known as the solar cycle.”
The last solar minimum, which is when the Sun had the lowest frequency of visible sunspots in the solar cycle, occurred in December 2019.
This means that the sun’s activity is currently increasing, with the next solar maximum expected around July this year.
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As a result, more of the Sun’s electrically charged particles are travelling towards the Earth and getting caught in its magnetic field, thus producing more of the aurora effect.
Krista added: “Over the coming years, as we continue towards the solar maximum, we can expect to see an increase in the frequency of space weather events, with more chances to see the Aurora Borealis over the UK.”
What causes the Northern Lights?
The Royal Museums Greenwich explained: “Solar storms on our star’s surface give out huge clouds of electrically charged particles. These particles can travel millions of miles, and some may eventually collide with the Earth.
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“Most of these particles are deflected away, but some become captured in the Earth’s magnetic field, accelerating down towards the north and south poles into the atmosphere. This is why aurora activity is concentrated at the magnetic poles.”
Royal Observatory astronomer, Tom Kerss added: “These particles then slam into atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere and essentially heat them up.
“We call this physical process ‘excitation’, but it’s very much like heating a gas and making it glow.”
