Northern Lights could be visible tonight thanks to solar storm

An eruption from the Sun could lead to the Northern Lights being visible in a variety of countries.

A geomagnetic storm – caused by a coronal mass ejection from our star – is headed towards Earth and could arrive as soon as the night of 1 February.

The storm has been given an intensity rating of G2 or moderate. Geomagnetic storms are ranked out of five – from G1 to the most intense G5 – but even relatively low-scoring space weather can lead to important dangers.

At the bottom of the scale, such storms can cause fluctuations in the power grid and affect spacecraft operations. At the very top, a G2 storm can cause the power grid to collapse as well as knocking out radio systems, satellites and lead to aurora across much of the Earth.

The incoming G2 storm is unlikely to have any terrible effects: while it could lead to some substantial fluctuations in power systems and a response by those guiding spacecraft, the danger is likely to be low.

More likely, the most obvious consequence of the storm will be the Northern Lights, which happen as the space weather collides with the Earth’s atmosphere.

The UK’s Met Office says that aurora may be visible on the northern horizon as far south as Northern England and Northern Ireland, but is most likely at the top of Scotland.

Similar light shows might be visible in the night sky in other northern countries and locations, such as Canada and Alaska.