Northern lights sightings are possible as huge solar flares have been spotted

A huge solar flare, the largest since 2017, was spotted erupting from the sun's surface.

Solar flares consist of electromagnetic radiation that travels from the Sun at the speed of light and can reach Earth in about eight minutes.

They can interfere with some radio links and satellites, but most of us probably won't notice these effects.

There is also a chance that northern latitudes could see the Northern Lights this weekend, as two geomagnetic storms are predicted to hit Earth.

Solar flares do not cause the Northern Lights. They are caused by a phenomenon called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which originate from an active sunspot.

When combined with flares, they can create solar storms that interact with the Earth's magnetic field or magnetosphere.

The CMEs spew out plasma and magnetic fields, as well as up to billions of tons of material that can hit Earth. Because our magnetosphere repels the storm, the aurora is created.

“There is a possibility that a coronal mass ejection could arrive on Earth late Friday or early Saturday, which could result in visible auroras in Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England,” said Krista Hammond, Space Weather Manager at the Met Office.

A second CME is likely to hit Earth on Saturday and Sunday and will be associated with the level X9 solar flare.

This means that “improved visibility of the Northern Lights is possible further south in central England and similar latitudes, although clouds and rain may reduce visibility for some,” says Krista Hammond.

In the U.S., aurora could be seen in northern states and from the Midwest to Oregon, according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center.

The emitted solar flare X9 is the largest categorized by NASA. The smallest is B, followed by C, M and

The sun approaches what is known as “solar maximum” when it is most active in an 11-year cycle.

As the Sun remains in this active phase, Earth is more likely to be hit by strong geomagnetic storms, meaning the chances of seeing the Aurora Borealis are higher in the next few months.

However, scientists don't know whether the solar maximum occurred until six months after the event, because they use six months of data to analyze the intensity and frequency of sunspots.

Current predictions suggest we could reach solar maximum in late 2024 or early 2025.

BBC weather presenter Simon King says the weather in Britain is not looking good for people wanting to see the Northern Lights this weekend.

“It would only be the far north-east of Scotland that would get the odd break in the cloud for a short period of time,” he says.

“If activity turns out to be slightly stronger, the best clear skies on Friday evening will be more towards central and southern England.

He says clouds could make visibility difficult Saturday evening, although the evening will start with plenty of clear skies.