They are a common feature of the Arctic and far north, but viewers in Britain must be looking at exactly the right time to be lucky enough to see them. Aurora were seen all across Britain earlier this year on 6 April, and there should be more to come.
Auroral displays are one of the most beautiful of all natural phenomena.
AuroraWatch UK will ensure that you don't miss out on the next British auroral light show. Intense aurora displays are generated following massive explosions on the sun, known as coronal mass ejections. These explosions release magnetic clouds containing billions of tons of material travelling at around 2 million miles per hour into space. When the magnetic clouds reach the Earth they can cause events called geomagnetic storms which contribute to severe space weather conditions. The sun's activity varies with a peak every 11 years.