Northern lights to reach UK tonight after severe solar storm, Met Office says

People in Whitley Bay, England, gather to see the aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, on 10 May, 2024. The UK Met Office said a severe solar storm will bring the celestial spectacle on 19 January, 2026 - (Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

The Met Office has issued an extreme space weather alert that could bring strong auroras to the skies over the UK on Monday night.

A colossal solar flare launched a coronal mass ejection (CME) from the surface of the Sun on 18 January, which is expected to arrive late on Monday, or early Tuesday morning.