Expert explains why we may see more of the Northern Lights in the UK

The Northern Lights could be spotted more over the UK over the coming months, experts predict.

A spectacular display from the aurora borealis was visible across the whole country last weekend as solar radiation crashed into the Earth's atmosphere, creating shimmering sheets of green, pink and purple light in the night sky. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said a G5 geomagnetic storm has been created by a 'large, complex' sunspot cluster 17 times the diameter of earth.

A solar storm this powerful had not been seen for more than 20 years. And it's good news for anyone who missed the phenomenon as experts believe we could see the Northern Lights again soon - and possibly more frequently.

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Krista Hammond, a space weather forecaster at the Met Office, said the sun is in the most active period of its 11-year cycle, which means we could see the lights in the next few weeks. She added that we could see the aurora borealis more often over the next few years – but not uniformly so.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, she said: "This is all down to what’s known as the sun’s solar cycle. The sun has a roughly 11-year cycle of activity, and this is from what’s known as solar minimum, which then goes towards solar maximum, and back to solar minimum.

"And we’re now approaching the solar maximum. What defines solar maximum is when we see the most number of sunspots on the sun. And it is sunspots that drive what we see as space weather, which is solar flares."

She added: "As we approach solar maximum, it means the frequency that we see these space weather events, which cause the aurora,