The Northern Lights are coming to the West Midlands – here's how you can see them
The Northern Lights are coming south – and that means there is a chance of a spectacular natural show across the West Midlands.
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Experts at conditions are right for a rare chance to see the lights across the southern half of the UK on Saturday night and Sunday night – as long as the clouds keep clear.
It is all down to unusual solar activity, with flares erupting from a sun spot which could interact with the Earth’s magnetic field.
The best chance to see them is to head for somewhere dark, like the designated dark skies region of the Shropshire Hills, or to the likes of Cannock Chase.
The Met Office Space X account says a previous coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to arrive late Friday or early Saturday, which could bring visible aurora across Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, though cloud and rain could hamper viewing for some.
But the big one - an X9 solar flare - could be huge, though it is too early to say precisely what it may produce.
Some are saying it could be bigger than the northern lights display earlier in the year that brought the best display in decades across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire
A Met Office spokesperson said: "An X9 solar flare - the largest of this solar cycle so far - has been spotted on the Sun.
"At present, it's too early to assess any potential accompanying Earth-directed coronal mass ejection which could lead to enhanced aurora visibility."
A CME is the ejection of material from the Sun into interplanetary space. If the material is directed towards the Earth then the event may result in a disturbance to the Earth's magnetic field and ionosphere.
