Just how far north do you have to go to see the Northern Lights?

[ThingsThatGoBomperInTheNight]

They are mentioned in a book ds is reading at the moment, and he has become rather obsessed with them. I know you can see them in the Arctic and parts of Canada, but can you see them any nearer to home?

I'm 99% certain that my friend who used to live in Saxa Vord told me that she used to see them

Outer Hebrides maybe?

Sorry, saxa Vord used to be an RAF base on Unst, in the Shetland Islands (14 hours on aferry!)

it's being turned inot holiday homes

Try looking on here

Saw them here once. In Somerset. And no I hadn't been taking anything illegal DH and I had just taken my parents out for a reasonably sober Italian meal.

i the film local hero, he sees them in scotland

Can see them in Durham sometimes

As a child I lived in the very north of england, in a out of town area, and we once saw them, we used to see all sorts in the sky, so many stars, shooting stars etc, that I just don't see now living in a town with all it's streetlights.

I seem to remember reading about them being visible in the UK fairly recently.

There is a meteor shower due this weekend, for anybody with clear skies and not too much light pollution - orionids, something to do with Halley's Comet.

(Will google northern lights now!)

aurorawatch alerts for your DS, TTGBITN - you can register and they let you know when they might be visisble

pic near Dundee

Oh I'd love to see them

dont forget it has to be dark

It may be obviouse but i spent 2 weeks in the arctic / norway in the summer.... due to 24/7 daylight we didnt see any, despite being told by loads of people, you will see the northern lights!

I used to (very) occasionally see them in Aviemore. I think the further north you go the better you see them.

I have emailed her, and she says she often saw them there in Unst,and says that when they were at Lossiemouth she saw them as well. I didn't ever see them when I was there, mind you wasn't looking

The further North you go, the more likely you are to see them

I've seen them in aberdeenshire in a small village with not much light polluntion.

I saw them once in Oxfordshire - I wonder if it was the same night you saw them in Somerset, OrmIrian!

There's a table in this website - scroll down giving max/min annual "event nights" between 1962 and 1989 (with clear skies) in various UK locations and it includes max 10 (min 0 ) in Southampton

For Lerwick it's max 164 min 44. So head north!

They are occasionally visible in St Andrews - and I know a collegaue at work saw them once in Edinburgh. But they are not reliable that far SOuth.

I was really disappointed: I was in Iceland on December 22 2005, having dinner in a revolving restaruant on a clear night and one of my unfulfilled ambitions (depsite having gone to Uni in St Andrews) is to see the Northern Lights - and the buggers didin't show that night.

Thanks for all the info everyone - will show ds all the links in the morning!!!

what causes it?