THE Northern Lights could be visible in the UK again this week, as a moderate geomagnetic storm heads towards Earth, NASA has said.

The Aurora Borealis stunned the nation earlier this summer, with dazzling light displays being visible as far south as Dorset, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire.

We may be able to see the Northern Lights as early as Wednesday this week.

The Met Office has also confirmed the possibility of “auroral displays”, but said it is limited to certain areas of the UK.

The forecaster told the Mirror: “Two Coronal Mass Ejections feature in the forecast, giving a peak chance of Strong Geomagnetic Storm (G3) conditions on Wednesday 24 July.

“This may result in auroral displays down to Northern Ireland, northern England and similar geomagnetic latitudes, albeit impeded by the near-full moon and limited hours of darkness."

Why have Aurora Borealis sightings increased this year?

In short Aurora Borealis sightings have increased in recent years and the explanation is well known in the science community, according to the Met Office.

Krista Hammond, a Manager at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), said: “Activity on the sun, and in particular the number of visible sunspots, varies over roughly an 11-year period, known as the solar cycle.”

The last solar minimum, which is when the Sun had the lowest frequency of visible sunspots in the solar cycle, occurred in December 2019.

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This means that the sun’s activity is currently increasing, with the next solar maximum expected around 2025.

As a result, more of the Sun's electrically charged particles are travelling towards the Earth and getting caught in its magnetic field, thus producing more of the aurora effect.

Krista added: “Over the coming years, as we continue towards the solar maximum, we can expect to see an increase in the frequency of space weather events, with more chances to see the Aurora Borealis over the UK.”