SCOTS could be rewarded with another spectacular display of the Northern Lights tonight, the Met Office has said.

The natural phenomenon was visible to the naked eye across parts of the UK as far south as Devon last night, due to a particularly strong solar flare, known as a coronal mass ejection.

And a Met Office space weather expert said there could be more stunning aurora borealis shows overnight as the conditions continue.

Krista Hammond said: “As was predicted by the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre, a coronal mass ejection impacted with the Earth yesterday.

“The resulting strong geomagnetic storm meant the Northern Lights were visible across large areas of the UK overnight last night.

“We’ve had reports that the aurora could even be seen in some central areas of the UK, which is possible when a storm of this magnitude impacts the Earth.”

The National:

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She said the storm left the sun on Tuesday and hit Earth last night, as predicted.

“Further geomagnetic storms are possible tonight and into the early hours tomorrow morning, due to the ongoing effects of the coronal mass ejection,” she said.

“This means there is the potential for further sightings of the Northern Lights overnight, although there will be spells of patchy cloud over Scotland which could limit visibility in places.”

Hammond said more space weather events were expected over the coming years to around 2025 as the sun goes through its cycle of activity.

Aurora-watcher Julie Winn, from Hexham, Northumberland, drove an hour into the Borders to find a dark patch of sky away from light pollution, and was delighted with what she saw.

She said: “It was better than I have seen for a long time, clearly visible to the naked eye, with subtle colours of pink and green above.”