Northern Lights could return to UK skies tonight - will we be able to see them in Sussex?

The Northern Lights – or aurora borealis – are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth's atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.

The most impressive auroras occur when the sun emits really large clouds of particles called ‘coronal mass ejections’.

At least one coronal mass ejection is expected to arrive tonight, which could cause aurora to become visible to the naked-eye, according to the Met Office.

Will we be able to see it in Sussex?

The aurora is most-likely to be visible from Northern England and Northern Ireland northwards.

However, there is a chance of aurora at peak becoming visible in southern England, particularly where aided by long-exposure camera photography, according to the Met Office.

Unfortunately, though, the sightings could be hampered if the weather is poor tonight.

Krista Hammond, space weather manager for the Met Office, said: “There is the potential for a coronal mass ejection to arrive at Earth late on Friday or early on Saturday, which could lead to visible aurora for Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England.

“In addition, we recently observed an X9 solar flare – the largest of this solar cycle so far. The accompanying coronal mass ejection is likely to arrive at Earth overnight on Saturday into Sunday, meaning that enhanced auroral visibility is possible further south across central England and similar latitudes, though cloud and rain could hamper viewing potential for some.”

When will it be visible?

The best sightings are when the skies are darkest, which is normally between 11pm – midnight.

There’s is potential for some aurora visibility ‘over the next few nights’, but tonight has the greatest likelihood of sightings further south, according to the Met Office.

Why are we seeing the northern lights more often in the UK?

The sun is at its most active period in an 11-year solar cycle this year, according to the Royal Astronomical Society. Known as the ‘solar maximum’, this is when the Sun has more sunspots than usual because its magnetic field is becoming stronger and at its most complex.

This leads to more solar flares and coronal mass ejections, which is what causes the colourful reaction.