Northern Lights visible across parts of UK tonight

The Northern Lights have been seen across parts of the UK on Thursday night, as forecast by meteorologists.

The lights – also known as aurora borealis – made an appearance in the night sky over parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England, as far as the south coast in Sussex.

Forecasters had said that the best chance of seeing the lights would be in the first half of Thursday night, with a slimmer chance of seeing them later on.

BBC Weather forecaster John Hutchinson said the phenomenon has been seen as far south as Kent.

Earlier, meteorologists said that clear skies in most parts of the UK would make for ideal viewing conditions, despite the colder weather.

The cold weather is set to continue overnight, Mr Hutchinson said, with a few places likely to drop to 0C (32F), possibly in southern and eastern Scotland and northern England.

He said that was colder than normal for mid-September, but added: “Generally over the next few days we are going to see temperatures recover.”

Earlier on Thursday, Jonathan Vautrey, a Met Office meteorologist, said hopeful spotters should look to the northern horizon, and hope for clear skies overhead.

“Tonight is going to be pretty ideal conditions as there’s going to be very little cloud,” he added.

“Sometimes it’s easier to see through a camera or telescope if you do have them.”

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place near the Arctic Circle.

When solar activity is strong, this can expand to cover a greater area – which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.

In mid-August, the lights were visible as far south as Cornwall, while May saw an equally strong showing across the UK and around the world.

Increased visibility in the UK during these periods was due to the Sun reaching a peak in activity.

Mr Vautrey said there is another chance to see the lights on Friday night into Saturday – but the current forecast suggests seeing the aurora will be less likely than on Thursday.