Northern Lights could be visible from these parts of the UK tonight

The aurora borealis could be visible from Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England

The northern lights as seen over Northumberland last month (PA Wire)

The Northern Lights could be visible across parts of the UK throughout Thursday night, the Met Office has said.

The lights, also known as aurora borealis, could be seen across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.

They will be observable when it is dark on Thursday evening and the first half of the night, but there is also a chance of them being seen in the second half.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “We’ve had a coronal mass ejection from the sun in the last few days that arrived to Earth this morning.

“The geomagnetic activity is already happening, but it’s not dark enough to see anything. The activity will be continuing throughout this evening and there’s a chance of seeing it.”

Aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, fill the sky over The Bathing House in Howick, Northumberland in August (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)

There is another chance to see the lights on Friday night into Saturday, but at the moment it is looking as if it is going to be weaker than Thursday’s, Mr Vautrey added.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky. In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.

When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area – which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.

Mr Vautrey added: “The main likely area is Scotland, there’s chances with this particular one possibly from Northern Ireland and northern England as well.

“You want to be looking to the northern horizon, if you’ve got a clear view of the horizon you’ve got a chance. There’s also a chance from the north Norfolk coast, we might see faint images coming from there.

“Tonight is going to be pretty ideal conditions as there’s going to be very little cloud. Sometimes it’s easier to see through a camera or telescope if you do have them.”

He also said anyone planning to see the lights on Thursday evening should “layer up” as there is the potential for some frost overnight.

Meteorologists have advised staying away from streetlights and using a camera to help improve your chances of seeing the auroras, with cameras better able to adapt to different wavelengths than our eyes.