Those who have always dreamt of witnessing the Northern Lights could be in for a treat on Thursday evening as the aurora borealis could be visible as far as Edinburgh.
With the natural phenomenon usually associated with colder countries closer to the Arctic Circle, it is known to be seen from a greater distance during different times of the year.
However, the borealis has begun to creep as far south as Edinburgh, with the Met Office's Space Weather arm saying a sunspot region in the southwestern quadrant of the sun had "led to a possible CME (coronal mass ejection)," according to the Mail Online.
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It added: "The auroral oval will likely extend southwards during the next 24 hours, initially owing to the ongoing influence of a coronal mass ejection (CME), but then one or more coronal hole high speed streams connecting with the Earth.
"Both of these events are likely to lead to some enhancements to the auroral oval with overhead aurora possibly visible across Scotland and equivalent latitudes."
Any glimpse of the Northern Lights would be a rare one, with the jaw-dropping green lights associated with high-latitude areas. although CMEs caused by intense solar activity can make it possible to spot the spectacle much further south.
One potential obstacle that could prevent residents in the capital from witnessing the phenomenon is possible cloud cover. There is an area of low pressure that will be moving to the north of the UK that is going to bring cloud and some rain to the region,' a Met Office spokesperson said.
They said: "There could be some clear spells overnight in Edinburgh at times but they won't last particularly long."
The aurora appears when atoms in Earth's high-altitude atmosphere collide with energetic charged particles from the sun, creating breathtaking colours of green with a hint of pink, red and violet.
It is more often seen in winter when the nights are cold, long and dark.
When a solar storm heads our way, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere.
There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky — the aurora, or Northern Lights. Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple.
The aurora can be seen near the poles of both the northern and southern hemispheres. In the north the display is known as the aurora borealis, and in the south it is called the aurora Australis.
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