Brits lucky enough to have a cloudless sky this week may have caught a glimpse of the epic aerial dance of the northern lights. Also known as the aurora borealis, this spectacular natural light show is often most visible in Arctic regions near the north and south poles.But in recent years, the northern lights have become more visible to those enjoying the sky from the British Isles.This week, stargazers as far south as Sussex could capture a glimpse of the northern lights on Thursday night and even on Friday.Meteorologists have already shared their tips for catching the best view of the northern lights from the UK this weekend.It’s not the first time this year, either. Some Londoners were lucky enough to capture the spectacular light show across the night skies in spring.Reports of the northern lights gracing UK skies appear to be growing year on year, and seeing this phenomenon so often is still pretty unusual.
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00:00This is not the Arctic or the North Pole, it's actually Oxfordshire and this
00:09Edinburgh, Northumberland and North Tyneside. Brits lucky enough to have a
00:15cloudless sky this week may have caught a glimpse of the epic Northern Lights
00:19and for the UK it's not the first time. The spectacular Aurora Borealis as it's
00:24known have become more visible over the years to us on the British Isles but why?
00:29Well it all comes down to science. The Royal Astronomical Society say the Sun
00:35is having a bit of a moment right now. It is currently in its most active period
00:40in an 11-year cycle causing heightened periods of solar storms which in turn
00:44create these stunning vistas. The solar wind reacts with gas particles in the
00:50Earth's atmosphere such as oxygen and nitrogen and emit different coloured
00:54lights in our skies. The Met Office say if you want to catch the display you've
00:58got to avoid light pollution, face north and catch them when the Sun is most
01:03active that's during the summer equinox and the winter solstice which happens to
01:08be in September and October. So keep your eyes to the skies.