Met Office forecasters have said people in the North East will have a chance of a rare glimpse at the Northern Lights tonight.

If you missed your chance to catch a glimpse of the famed Northern Lights in May, also known as aroura borealis, you have a second chance tonight according to forecasters.

A geomagnetic storm has been forecast by the Met Office and you may be able to see the stunning sight if you keep your eyes peeled after the sun sets.

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

The forecaster said: "The aurora borealis may be visible on Friday night, especially in northern areas of the UK.

"Geomagnetic storms are likely but confidence is low on how strong they will be and how far south the northern lights may be seen."

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

Sightings of the phenomena have increased in recent years.

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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.

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