WHAT A VIEW
Map reveals exact areas to catch Northern Lights AGAIN tonight after Brits treated to spectacular solar storm
Watch moment Northern Lights flooded the skies across UK
OUR map reveals the exact areas to catch the Northern Lights again tonight after Brits were treated to a spectacular solar storm.
The lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, were spotted on Friday across the UK, including in Whitley Bay on the north east coast, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Wokingham in Berkshire.
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They were also spotted in Suffolk, Kent, Hampshire and Liverpool.
The sightings reached as far as Ireland, with the Irish weather service Met Eireann posting images of the lights in Dublin and at Shannon Airport in Co Clare.
Experts say Scotland and the North of England will be the best places to see any upcoming aurorae tonight.
Met Office maps indicate visibility will begin from around 9pm.
Meteorologist Craig Snell, of the national weather agency, told The Sun the best spots will be isolated and away from the light pollution of big cities.
"As far north as you can go," he said. "The middle of nowhere with nothing polluting the sky. Somewhere very dark, in the countryside, a country park.
"Parts of the south may see some visibility. The activity tonight won't be as strong as yesterday, it'll be harder with just the naked eye, you might need a decent camera."
He said where he is based in Exeter the lights could be seen on Friday, but he doesn't expect to be so lucky tonight.
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Mr Snell said even in good vantage points up north, the weather may put a spanner in the works.
"There's a little bit of cloud coverage across Scotland and that might scupper visibility," he explained.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon also told The Sun the shorter nights "limit the visibility window" but said Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England and Wales are likely to get sightings.
Aurora could be visible all over Scotland tonight as strongest geomagnetic storm for 20 years to hit Earth
He went on to say there is also potential for visibility on Sunday night.
He said: "Geomagnetic activity on Friday night was very strong, reaching a strength which was last seen in the UK in 2003.
"This resulted in some very vivid Aurora sightings across the UK with clear skies for many."
Fellow Met Office forecaster Chris Snell, said there were sightings "from top to tail across the country" on Friday.
He said there were sightings in parts of Europe on Friday night as well, with the Met Office receiving pictures and information from locations including Prague and Barcelona.
He advised the peak times for visibility will be around 10.30pm to 11pm "when it gets really dark".
Referring to last night's display, Kathleen Cunnea, in Great Horkesley, Essex, said: "It was absolutely stunning to see."
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased because of an "extreme" geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, hit earth on Thursday and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.
The cause of this storm is a "large, complex" sunspot cluster and is 17 times the diameter of earth, with the last storm with a G5 rating hitting earth in October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden.
The NOAA said the lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and southern California in the US.
It alerted operators of power plants and spacecraft in orbit to take precautions, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Photos also show the lights in France, Turkey, the Netherlands, Russia, Denmark, Ukraine and Slovakia.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
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In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.
When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area - which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.
What are the Northern Lights?
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.
When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area - which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased on Friday because of an "extreme" geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The phenomena appears as beautiful dancing green and purple ribbons of light that have captivated people for millennia.
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