The Northern Lights are set to be visible in parts of the UK this week - but will Hertfordshire residents get a glimpse?

Stargazers may be able to see the aurora borealis overnight tonight (September 10 to 11) according to the Met Office, but sadly it sounds like this time it is unlikely to be visible in southern England.

The forecaster says it may be visible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

Best time to see the Northern Lights this week

The Northern Lights may be visible in parts of the UK overnight on Tuesday (September 10 to 11), according to the Met Office.

The Met Office Space Weather forecast reads: "A coronal mass ejection (CME) is forecast to give a glancing blow either late 10 September or early on 11 September.

"Aurora may be visible across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England and similar latitudes."

The Met Office added a "slight enhancement" was also possible overnight on Monday (September 9 to 10) due to the arrival of "a weak coronal hole high speed stream".

The forecast continued: "This perhaps bringing visible aurora to the far north of Scotland and similar latitudes where skies are clear, however this is low confidence.

Best places to see the Northern Lights in the UK this week

According to the Space Weather forecast from the Met Office, the best spots to see the Northern Lights on Monday night/Tuesday morning (September 9 and 10) will be north of Scotland.

Then on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (September 10 and 11) there is the possibility of catching a glimpse of the picturesque display in skies across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.


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What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights 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.

Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most common gases in the atmosphere, with nitrogen emitting purple, blue and pink colours and oxygen emitting green.