The Northern Lights are set to be visible tonight across the UK including Oxfordshire.

Stargazers across the country have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, several times already in 2024.

A red alert was issued back in August by AuroaWatch UK to indicate that a sighting was possible all over the UK.

Now the Met Office has informed the public that the phenomenon may be visible across the UK tonight (Friday, October 4).

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The Northern Lights in the UK.The Northern Lights in the UK. (Image: Pete Duck)

A spokesperson for the Met Office said: “The aurora borealis may be visible on Friday night, especially in northern areas of the UK.

“Geomagnetic storms are likely but confidence is low on how strong they will be and how far south the northern lights may be seen.”

This is due to an X9 solar flare, the largest of this solar cycle so far, being spotted on the Sun.

A Met Office spokesperson continued: “At present, it's too early to assess any potential accompanying Earth-directed coronal mass ejection which could lead to enhanced aurora visibility.

“However, a previous coronal mass ejection is expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday, which could bring visible aurora.”

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The northern lights generally appear in high-latitude regions such as the Arctic or Scandinavia. 

Their colourful glow is caused by a stream of charged particles that have escaped the sun (known as solar wind) interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.

The particles hit our atmosphere at high speed and combine with oxygen and nitrogen to create a multicoloured burst.

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