Bright

Lights which glows in the sky over the North Pole and can sometimes be seen as far away as the UK.

Strong geomagnetic storms can cause solar flares – explosions accompanied by huge eruptions.

Intense solar storms are bad news for our planet as the extra radiation can damage the satellites we use for communication and navigation. They can also be dangerous for astronauts in space.

A sudden solar storm could reach Earth in minutes, so it’s important that scientists monitor the sun’s activity, predicting when storms are likely to occur and how strong they will be.

The Met Office, the national meteorological service for the UK, gives the weather forecast both here on Earth and in space, too.

To find out what scientists are predicting for the next few days and see daily videos of the sun’s surface, visit metoffice.gov.uk/ weather/specialist-forecasts/ space-weather.

You may not be able to look into the sun, but you can certainly keep your eye on it!