The Northern Lights were visible to the naked eye across Wales on Friday evening, with striking colours appearing in the skies. A red alert has been issued by Aurora Watch UK for sightings of the natural phenomenon on Saturday night.
Residents in Pembrokeshire and sky watchers over Brecon were treated to a colourful spectacle, and there will be further opportunities to view the aurora as the weekend continues, according to the Met Office.
Forecast for the weekend
In its aurora forecast for the Northern Hemisphere, the Met Office said: "Two glancing coronal mass ejections followed by a coronal hole high speed stream bring a daily chance of enhancing the auroral oval, with sightings possible across Scotland and similar geomagnetic longitudes where skies are clear between October 10 and 13."
The weather forecast is looking clear tonight, which will give sightseers the best chance of getting a good glimpse.
Best places to view the aurora
Those wishing to see the Northern Lights will have the best chance at high points such as hills and dark places in the countryside, away from light pollution.
The Met Office said: "As the UK is south of where the natural aurora belt occurs (Norway/Iceland/Greenland), it takes a severe or extreme geomagnetic storm (Kp8-9+) to bring the belt southwards directly over the UK."
"This is a very rare occurrence. During more moderate to strong geomagnetic storms (Kp6-7), the Aurora borealis often moves southwards across southern Iceland or towards the Faeroes. These auroras can be faintly visible from the UK because they occur at high altitudes."
How to see the Northern Lights
You need a clear night with no cloud cover, find a dark location with no light pollution, and look toward the northern horizon. Be cautious that geomagnetic activity can cause disturbances to satellite navigation (GNSS/GPS etc).
If you have any lovely images of the Northern Lights over Wales you'd like to share, please email newsdesk@walesonline.co.uk.
