Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.
In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place near the Arctic Circle.
When solar activity is strong, this can expand to cover a greater area – which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.
In mid-August, the lights were visible as far south as Cornwall, external, while May saw an equally strong showing across the UK and around the world.
Increased visibility in the UK during these periods was due to the Sun reaching a peak in activity.
Mr Vautrey said there is another chance to see the lights on Friday night into Saturday – but the current forecast suggests seeing the aurora will be less likely than on Thursday.
