Northern lights set to be visible again tonight for third time, says Met Office

The last chance to see the northern lights across some parts of the UK could come tonight, the Met Office has confirmed.

Over the past two days, vibrant displays of bright greens and radiant reds were reported in Northern Ireland, south Wales and Norfolk, while residents in northern England witnessed colourful light displays for the first time.

Named one of the "best displays in very long time" by BBC Weather Watchers, the ethereal lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, were witnessed by locals in parts of Scotland, Kent and Cornwall. The incredible occurrence usually appears in high latitude regions closer to the Arctic, such as Scandinavia.

Tuesday (28th February) may be the last chance to see the dazzling lights, although it may continue into the early hours of Wednesday morning, The Independent has reported. Reduced activity means it may not come as far south as it has in recent nights.

According to the Met Office, the "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". They generally extend from 50 miles to as high as 400 miles above the Earth's surface.

Want to get a glimpse of the lights tonight? The best conditions to view them is when the sky is dark and clear of any clouds. "Ideally, the lights will be best viewed away from any light pollution, in remote areas, facing the northern horizon - north facing coasts produce some of the best viewing locations," say the team at the Met Office.

Take a look at images of the northern lights below...

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