Big explosion on the Sun raises hopes of seeing another fantastic Northern Lights display
Space watchers are getting excited about the prospect of seeing the Northern Lights again soon.
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The Sun has been spewing out coronal mass ejections recently and the latest one has been the largest of the 11 year solar cycle so far.
The Met Office Space X account says a previous coronal mass ejection 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 but 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 Shropshire.
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.
"However, a previous coronal mass ejection 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."
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.
