When the Northern Lights may appear over the UK this week - and why October is one of the best months for them
Stargazers in some parts of the country may be in for a treat 🔭
- There is a chance the northern lights will be visible over parts of the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday
- It comes after solar activity late last week - the impacts of which have finally reached Earth
- In general, this time of year is one of the best when it comes to aurora activity
You’ll need to be especially lucky to spot it, but a post-equinox aurora may grace the UK’s skies over the next couple of days.
The Met Office’s space weather department has forecasted potential northern lights activity over the UK this week. It’s the aftermath of a big burst of plasma from the sun last week, which has finally reached our atmosphere.
Certain parts of the country may have a better chance of catching the brilliant display than others, both due to the lights’ intensity and to conditions on the ground. But with this time of year being one of the best when it comes to aurora sightings, this week may not be your only chance either.
Here’s what you need to know about seeing the northern lights in the UK this week:
Why the northern lights could appear over the UK this week
An incoming coronal mass ejection (CME) – which burst from the Sun on October 3 and 4 – has just reached the Earth this week, the Met Office says. This is a big burst of plasma released from the outermost part of the Sun’s atmosphere, which then shoots outwards at millions of kilometres per hour.
It interacts with our planet’s magnetic field when it reaches us, triggering geomagnetic storms which in turn can produce the dancing light displays we all know and love – although just how intense these are and where they can be seen depend on the strength of the CME and local weather and light conditions.
These latest CMEs brought with them “the potential for visible aurora” from Monday (October 6), until Wednesday (October 8), the forecaster said. This means that the exciting light shows could possibly appear across Scotland or even further south, although its experts specified that confidence was low.
When and where you have the best chance of seeing them
You are most likely to see the northern lights this week on Tuesday night (October 7), with the strongest aurora activity set to pass through UK skies expected from 9pm to midnight, according to a video created by the Met Office’s space weather team.
There is still a chance of sightings through to 3am, the graphic showed. While it also depicted aurora activity through into Wednesday night and beyond, most of it was much further north.
Of course, conditions also need to be right on the ground in order to see the northern lights – especially with the naked eye. Lancaster University’s AuroraWatch UK blog says in order to have the best chance of seeing them, you’ll need to wait until it is dark. They will be most visible in areas with little competing light pollution (so if you live rurally or in a smaller town or village, you may have a better shot than city-dwellers).
You’ll also need the weather to cooperate, and fog, mist or clouds will obviously get in the way. The Met Office also has a cloud cover map you can check online here. During peak aurora hours on Tuesday night, large parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and some parts of England’s South West are forecast to have the clearest skies.
Why is October such a good month for aurora sightings?
In general, September and October are some of the best months for aurora sightings. This is due to the recently-passed autumn equinox.
The British Geological Survey says that generally, there are more of the magnetic storms that cause northern lights displays around the time of the equinoxes. The autumn one arrives around late September most years - on September 22 in 2025 - while its springtime counterpart takes place around late March.
Because the Earth is slightly tilted on its axis, the Sun is usually lighting up either the northern or southern hemisphere more depending on where our planet is along its orbit. But the equinoxes are the two points of the year when the Sun will illuminate both hemispheres equally, making the day and night equal in length.
The night sky has a unique power to capture our imagination – and our attention. Check out this story to find out more about one interesting poll, exploring how people across the UK say moon phases affect their sleep.