Northern Lights visible in Southend Friday September 13

The stunning and rare natural spectacle is usually exclusive to the likes of Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Russia and Alaska, but stargazers across the country were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the aurora borealis, last night.

However, for those who couldn't stay up last night or were just not aware of the phenomenon, the Northern Lights are expected to be visible again in the UK tonight.

You might want to look up at the sky tonight because there's the chance of seeing the aurora 🌟

Clear skies for most overnight will make for ideal viewing conditions, with sightings possible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England ✨ pic.twitter.com/ewAGUPrqyd

— Met Office (@metoffice) September 12, 2024

Issuing an alert, the Met Office said: "Aurora potentially visible as far south as northern England and Northern Ireland, and perhaps some northern coastal areas of North Wales and Norfolk. 

"Visibility is forecast to fade overnight. However, another arrival overnight Friday into Saturday brings a chance of further visible aurora to northern areas of the UK, primarily Scotland."

While the glimmering lights will largely cover the northern areas of the UK, there have been reports of them being seen across south Essex with keen photographer Aaron Chesham capturing the lights yesterday.

The best time to catch a glimpse of the lights will likely be close to midnight and into the early hours of Saturday morning.

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth's atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.

Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most common gases in the atmosphere, with nitrogen emitting purple, blue and pink colours and oxygen emitting green.