The Northern Lights could be seen in the skies over Scotland this Christmas weekend.
A minor geomagnetic storm is expected tonight (December 23) and early on Christmas Eve due to a minor geomagnetic storm and set to spark a solar display, according to the space weather forecast.
Disturbance in the Earth's magnetosphere, which results in the light display, are at their peak during this period according to AuroraWatch UK.
The best times to spot the lights are between 10pm and midnight, The Daily Record reports.
The Met Office says: "The auroral oval is likely to be slightly enhanced at high latitudes late on the 23rd into the 24th."
Stargazers could catch a glimpse of the celestial spectacle, also known as aurora borealis, if the weather doesn't get in the way.
Unfortunately, tonight is set to be cloudy in Scotland with spells of rain and snow over the hills. It will be drier elsewhere in the UK overnight.
If you want to give it a shot anyway, a hill would be an ideal spot due to its elevated location and unobstructed views from buildings and lights. Also, the further north you are, the better.
What causes the Northern Lights?
Tonight's display is due to a coronal mass ejection - an eruption of particles and plasma from the sun's atmosphere - caused a solar storm that occurred at 11:36am on December 20.
It's when these solar storms disturb the Earth's magnetic field that we see the Northern Lights.
"The sun continuously produces a solar wind, made of charged particles that flows outward into the solar system," explains NASA.
"When the solar wind reaches Earth’s magnetic field, it can cause magnetic reconnection, an explosive process that allows charged particles from space to accelerate into the atmosphere."
