Northern Lights on 'red alert' in Scotland as displays 'highly likely' to be seen

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scots are in for a rare chance of seeing the Northern Lights tonight with a 'highly likely' alert issued.AuroraWatchUK put spotters on standby after posting to say the there was a good chance the phenomenon could be seen by camera or by the naked eye around the UK.

However it is unclear if spotters will have any success with forecasters expecting more rain and cloud across Scotland.The group say the lights will be at their strongest from 7pm onwards.The northern lights - also known as aurora borealis - appear as large areas of colour including pale green, pink, shades of red, yellow, blue and violet in the direction due north.During a weak aurora, the colours are very faint and spread out whereas an intense aurora features greater numbers of and brighter colours which can be seen higher in the sky with a distinct arc.

The northern lights are best seen in darkness, away from any light pollution. The lights generally extend from 50 miles to as high as 400 miles above the Earth's surface, according to the Met Office.The Northern Lights are best visible starting from the end of September through the winter months.

Although Nordic countries are typically the best places to spot them, people in Scotland are also well-positioned given the nation's high latitude."The sun continuously produces a solar wind, made of charged particles that flows outward into the solar system," explains NASA.