Northern Lights UK: can you see the aurora tonight after the Halloween display?

2nd November 2026

Probably not. After Halloween weekend’s displays over Scotland, activity is dropping, and forecasters say a strong aurora over most of the UK is unlikely on Monday or Tuesday night. Here is what happened, and how to know when the next chance comes.

🌌 Northern Lights: the short answer
📉 Monday and Tuesday: activity falling back, aurora unlikely except perhaps far north Scotland
🔭 Best chance next time: northern Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, away from city lights
☁️ You need clear skies; cloud is often the biggest problem
📲 Alerts: Met Office space weather forecast and AuroraWatch UK

What happened at Halloween?

Skywatchers in northern Scotland, including Nairn in the Highlands, reported a bright green glow on Halloween night, with colourful displays over parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland when the clouds cleared. The boost came from fast solar wind streaming from a coronal hole on the Sun. The Met Office said there were no Earth-directed coronal mass ejections.

Will I see the Northern Lights tonight?

It is unlikely for most of the country. The Met Office said activity would become less intense from Monday night, and space weather forecasters expect quiet to unsettled conditions on Monday and mostly quiet conditions on Tuesday. That means no significant aurora further south.

Can you see the Northern Lights from London?

Only during strong geomagnetic storms. In London you usually need a very high level of activity (a Kp index of around 6 to 7 or more), clear skies and a dark spot away from street lights. It does happen: in recent years the aurora has been photographed as far south as Kent and Surrey. But on most nights the north of Scotland has the best odds.

How to see the Northern Lights in the UK

Check the Met Office space weather forecast and sign up for AuroraWatch UK alerts.
Find somewhere dark, away from street lights, with a clear view to the north.
Give your eyes 15 to 20 minutes to adjust. Phone cameras often pick up colours the eye can’t.
Look between about 10pm and 2am, and check the cloud forecast first.

Sources: IBTimes UK, EarthSky, Met Office, Brit Brief. Photo: aurora over Baltasound, Shetland, Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0.

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