Suffolk: The Northern Lights could be seen as far south as Suffolk tonight, according to forecasters

The Northern Lights captured by Richard Ayres of Mollett's Farm in Benhall near Saxmundham. (Image: Archant)

Two solar flares have heightened the chances of the phenomenon, known as the aurora borealis, being spotted in Scotland, northern England and as far south as East Anglia.

The opportunity to see the Tricky Lady will still depend on other factors, with cloud cover and a bright moon potentially hampering the view, but forecasters are saying there is a possibility Suffolk’s skies could be illuminated by the dancing lights.

Chris Bell, of Norwich-based Weatherquest, said: “If we have clear skies and it arrives at the right time, it is possible some people could see it from the darker skies of Suffolk.

“The best chance of seeing it would be to get out the towns and cities where there is light pollution. With aurora forecasts they are certainly not guaranteed, but there is a chance.

“The bottom line is if you are interested and you have never seen it before, it is worth going out and seeing if you can get a nice clear spell and look to the north. Give it a few minutes as well to let your eyes adjust.

“It is best to be out there as soon as it is pitch dark.”

Auroras are caused by activity on the surface of the sun.

The one we could potentially see in Suffolk has been caused by two large explosions on the Sun and huge amounts of magnetically charged particles being hurled into space towards Earth.

Known as Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), they can produce many different colours, with green, pink, red, blue and yellow all possible.

The first CME arrived last tonight and the second is likely to arrive later today, with their combined effect increasing the chance of a display.

People hoping to see the lights are advised to find a place outside of towns and look north after 9pm.

You can send your Northern Lights pictures to us through www.iwitness24.co.uk or by emailing newsroom@archant.co.uk