I HOPE some of you managed to see the wonderful display of the northern lights last Sunday evening, which was visible across much of the UK. It rather came out of nowhere, and painted the northern sky with colourful beams, streamers and arcs for the whole evening and into the wee small hours. I was lucky enough to be up in Northumberland on Sunday night, at a 'Starcamp' astronomy camping weekend up at Kielder, so I was able to enjoy the display under one of the darkest skies in Europe.

Whether you caught the display or missed it you're probably thinking "When's the next one going to be?" Well, amateur astronomers and skywatchers can predict a display of the aurora - sometimes - by monitoring the activity on the Sun which causes the northern lights. But the best way for anyone to be given a heads up of a display is by following enthusiastic aurora watchers on social media: whenever it looks promising for a display of the northern lights the word goes out on Twitter and Facebook, and if a display actually begins reports and photos are posted almost in real time. Or you can download Aurora Alert apps for your phone or tablet which will shout at you when an aurora is visible where you are.

But you can't beat the good old-fashioned way we used before smartphones, iPads and Tweeting - on any clear night, just look at the sky. You might just see something amazing!

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal