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The Met Office has revealed the best places for Brits to watch the stunning northern lights tonight, after many missed the first half of the dazzling natural light show yesterday
The UK’s weather agency said in a tweet today (February 27) that between 6pm and 2am tonight, the Aurora Borealis would be most visible in the north of the UK.
It said that the north west of Scotland would be the best place to see the lights tonight, but added that parts of northern England may get to see the rare event if there are clear skies.
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The weather forecaster’s advice comes just hours after the first pictures of the brilliant event were published by photographers across the UK.
The Met Office says that generally Scotland, north England, north Wales and northern Ireland are the best places to see the Aurora Borealis.
“However, under severe space weather conditions, the lights can be seen throughout the UK”, it added.
The northern lights are most active in March, April, September and October during equinoxes, a twice yearly event that sees the sun appear directly above the equator.
The Met Office said that the Aurora Borealis is best seen away from light pollution, adding: "The lights generally extend from 50 miles to as high as 400 miles above the Earth's surface.
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"The best conditions to view the lights are when the sky is dark and clear of any clouds.
"Cloud cover ultimately blocks the view of the light. Ideally, the lights will be best viewed away from any light pollution, in remote areas, facing the northern horizon.
“North-facing coasts produce some of the best viewing locations”.
The brilliant lights are caused by solar winds, huge masses of charged particles from the sun, that interact with the magnetic field induced by the Earth’s iron core.
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- Met Office
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- UK Weather
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