A red alert has been issued by Lancaster UniversityTim Hanlon News Reporter and Hannah Rees Social Media Editor
20:57, 18 Oct 2025Updated 20:57, 18 Oct 2025
Northern Lights over Crosby Beach on Merseyside(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
British stargazers are set for a spectacular treat this evening with a red alert issued indicating there’s a good possibility for witnessing the breathtaking Northern Lights across the entire UK.
The Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights, are a natural light spectacle in our planet’s atmosphere, manifesting as dancing waves or flowing curtains of colour, primarily in shades of green, pink, and red. These mesmerising hues have fascinated humanity for centuries, and we now understand they result from charged particles originating from the Sun, known as solar winds, interacting with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere.
Lancaster University has issued a red alert indicating a high chance of observing the Northern Lights due to heightened geomagnetic activity. This red alert classification is described as: “It is likely that aurora will be visible by eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.”
The university’s data reveals activity levels measured in nanotesla – the standard unit for magnetic field strength – reaching beyond 200nT for this evening.
The Met Office has also confirmed: “The arrival of a fast solar wind, are expected to bring some enhancement to the aurora through Saturday 18 Oct and Sunday 19 Oct UTC. The best chance of viewing is over Scotland and similar geomagnetic latitude,” reports the Mirror.
Northern Lights in UK tonight ‘likely’ as red alert issued(Image: AuroraWatch UK)
The most favourable spots to witness the spectacle are typically closer to polar regions, due to the Earth’s magnetic field directing particles towards the poles. This is why the Northern Lights are often more visible in Scotland, North England, North Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, under extreme space weather conditions, the lights can be seen across the UK.
If you’ve always dreamt of seeing the Northern Lights and miss this opportunity, then perhaps this winter could be your best bet for a trip to increase your chances of witnessing it.
That’s because 2026 is predicted to be the best year in a decade for Aurora viewing opportunities, with January and February being the ideal time.
Next year will bring in a once-in-a-decade phenomenon; the solar maximum. This rare event sees heightened magnetic activity from the Sun, and scientists anticipate it to peak until March 2026, before subsiding again until the mid-2030s.
The great news is that you don’t need to venture into the far reaches of the Arctic to try and spot the lights. There are numerous European destinations including Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland where you can observe the Aurora due to their proximity to the Arctic Circle.
The sun undergoes an 11-year solar cycle, with periods of intense activity followed by a quiet phase. During its active bursts, also known as solar maximum, the sun releases charged particles that travel through space at speeds of around one million miles per hour.
Some of these particles are trapped by the Earth’s magnetic field and collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules in our atmosphere. These atoms and molecules then release the energy they gained from the collision, emitting light at various wavelengths to create vibrant displays in the night sky.
NASA explains that oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light – the most common colour of the aurora – or a red light, while nitrogen typically gives off a blue light. The oxygen and nitrogen molecules also emit ultraviolet light, which can only be detected by special cameras on satellites.