Could Monday night be fourth time lucky for Brits who have so far failed to catch the dazzling pink and green light show of the aurora borealis over their heads?
Fortunately, for those unlucky few, judging by the swathes of pictures of the phenomenon shared on social media, the huge geomagnetic storm will continue until at least Monday.
But what are the chances of catching it on Monday night?
Is there going to be a Northern Lights show tonight?
The spectacle was seen across the UK and in parts of Europe after an extreme geomagnetic storm caused them to be more visible, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center said that a severe to extreme geomagnetic storm was possible on Sunday night.
BBC weather expert Simon King said: “Forecasters at NOAA and the Met Office Space Weather centre are predicting the arrival of another strong CME [coronal mass ejections, which cause geomagnetic storms] on Sunday and into Monday.
“Geomagnetic activity is expected to be strong to severe with a chance of an increase at times to extreme.
“Therefore, for another chance to see the aurora – anywhere in the UK - you might want to keep an eye on things on Sunday night.”
Yet for tonight, the Aurora Watch forecast doesn’t predict any significant activity for Monday evening, with the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights expected to wane in the coming days.
The group have currently have said there is minor geomagnetic activity, meaning: “Aurora may be visible by eye from Scotland and may be visible by camera from Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland.”
However, Dr Greg Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told MailOnline: ‘There are signs of another storm approaching within the next few days, which might boost the aurorae again.’
What is the chance of seeing the Northern Lights?
The Met Office reported a cluster of thunderstorms pushing northwards on Sunday night that would likely hamper any viewings in eastern Wales and The Midlands.
Take care if you are travelling this evening ⚡⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 12, 2024
There is a cluster of thunderstorms pushing northwards, affecting eastern Wales and parts of the Midlands
Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/4ORFQt8bHP
But Channel 4 weather presenter Liam Dutton dampened down expectations with the uptick in cloud expected. He posted on X: “Geomagnetic activity will increase again today, however, as with last night, peak activity may not coincide with darkness.
“There’ll also be much more cloud around tonight, with clear spells limited. So, the chances of spotting the aurora borealis will be reduced somewhat.”
Where will people be able to see the Northern Lights
The Met Office said that it was more likely that those located in the north will see the spectacle - but it warned that any sightings would be far reduced compared to Friday and Saturday.
Mr Petagna said: “There’s a higher chance of seeing it if you’re in the north of the UK again – in places like Scotland, Northern Ireland and areas in northern England.
“It’s also very dependent on the cloud cover. There have been thundery showers across the north today as well so that might hamper things slightly.
“The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are in an area in the north of the UK with a clear sky.”
Where have the Northern Lights been spotted?
Many skygazers were left disappointed on Saturday night after the breathtaking sights produced by the Northern Lights 24 hours earlier failed to materialise on the same scale.
Beautiful hues of purple, red, green and blue filled the skies across the north on Friday with the lights, called the aurora borealis, even spotted as far south as London.
A geomagnetic storm caused the lights to be more visible than normal and they were also spotted across parts of northern Europe and North America.
On Friday, there were sightings “from top to tail across the country,” said Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, Britain’s weather agency.
He added that the office received photos and information from other European locations including Prague and Barcelona.
Images showed bands of red, purple and lime green illuminating the sky above Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park, Edinburgh.
Further south, over St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitley Bay on the north-east coast of England, locals flocked to the beaches to glimpse the spectacular lights there.
And in Liverpool, the lights could be seen behind Anthony Gormley’s Another Place statue.
What causes the Northern Lights display?
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
Prof Haswell, head of astronomy at the Open University, explained how different colours within the aurora are formed and said: “Green comes from oxygen which is about 80 to 250 miles above the earth’s surface.
“The purple, blue and pink comes from nitrogen and when you get a very strong aurora sometimes you see a sort of scarlet red, and that comes from oxygen which is higher in the earth’s atmosphere, at an altitude of about 180 miles.”
