Northern Lights should be visible in Scotland tonight according to Met Office - how to catch rare phenomenon
If you're a stargazing enthusiast, you might be in for a treat tonight. The Northern Lights, a breath-taking natural spectacle, may be visible in Scotland, according to Met Office experts.
The Lights are typically seen over Iceland, Alaska, Canada, Norway, and Finland. But the national weather service has predicted that the aurora borealis could be visible over parts of northern and western Scotland this evening.
The Met Office shared a video on on X, previously Twitter, showing the Northern Lights visible across a large part of the globe, peaking at 9pm on Tuesday evening.
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The forecasters stated: "Northern regions have further chances to see the aurora over the next few nights. Cloudy skies mean limited viewing opportunities for most of us, but with clearer skies in northern and western Scotland, there's a much better chance here".
The reason that the kaleidoscope of colours are expected to appear in the skies above the north of the country is due to "ongoing fast solar winds" in the northern hemisphere.
The Met Office predicts that any "glancing coronal mass ejections" (CMEs), which are large expulsions of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's atmosphere, may bring a chance of visible aurora.
The phenomenon occurs when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles, emitting light at various wavelengths and creating colourful displays in the sky.
Remote areas with open views of the northern horizon are ideal for sightings, and the lights are unlikely to be visible until it gets very dark. The Met Office forecasts moderate solar activity over the next four days, increasing the likelihood of a spectacular display.
The last notable appearance of the Northern Lights in Scotland was on New Year's Day 2025, when a stunning display of pink and green rays filled the skies. Social media was abuzz as people shared images and videos of the spectacular light show.
Anticipation of the exciting and awe-inspiring sight comes as the UK is currently experiencing a 'Scandinavian High', which means cold easterly winds are bringing clouds, sleet and snow across the North Sea.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick mentioned that there will be "plenty of dry weather around", adding that eastern parts of the Grampians and other hilly areas could see some snow on Tuesday.
"The best of the brightness will be across the north west of Scotland, even Dumfries and Galloway could see some brighter spells by the afternoon," she added.
