Northern Lights red alert issued for Friday, October 11

If you missed last night's stunning display then fear not - you might be able to see them again tonight

People who missed last night's stunning Northern Lights display may have another chance to see the incredible phenomenon tonight. Stargazers across swathes of the UK enjoyed a spectacular light show on the evening of Thursday, October 10.

While more visible in the north of the UK, people as far south as southern England were able to witness the Aurora Borealis. And the good news is that they may also be visible tonight (Friday October 11).

The Exeter-based Met Office has said that the lights will once again be visible. However, the meteorological experts added that they would be largely visible in Scotland and cloud cover would obscure many people's view.

"Cloudier skies tonight will limit the chances of seeing the #northernlights, however Scotland offers the best chance of seeing the Aurora," a tweet on X said. A graphic accompanying it showed the lights would likely be most visible at around 10pm.

And Aurora Watch UK issued a red alert, saying the Aurora was 'likely'. It did not give information about where it could be seen, but implied midnight was the best time to see it.

According to the Met Office website: "The northern lights (also known as Aurora Borealis) appear as large areas of colour including pale green, pink, shades of red, yellow, blue and violet in the direction due north.

"The northern lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution. The lights generally extend from 50 miles to as high as 400 miles above the Earth's surface.

"The northern lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere."