The Northern Lights could be visible again in the coming weeks, forecasters have suggested.

After stunning displays across the country in early May, awestruck spectators have been desperate to catch another glimpse of the aurora borealis.

The bands of pink and green light appeared across most parts of the UK - and across some areas of Europe - thanks to an extreme geomagnetic storm which caused them to be more visible in places not usually associated with the displays.

But for those dreaming of a repeat performance - or for those who may have slept through the first aerial show - space weather experts believe there’s the possibility of a second chance early next month.

Aurora displays happen when electrically charged particles from the sun collide with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere.

And depending on which gas molecules are hit and where they are in the atmosphere, says the Met Office, different amounts of energy are released as different wavelengths of light.

The Sun is currently in the most active period of its 11-year cycle, which means there is an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights if the correct conditions and timings fall in sync.

The Sun would need to fire out coronal mass ejections and these bursts need to be aimed at Earth.

Should the activity be strong and powerful enough it will trigger the geomagnetic storm when it collides with the Earth’s magnetic field.

Where and when the displays can be seen in the UK is then dictated by the strength of that geomagnetic storm - as very often the particles captured in our magnetic field are pushed towards the north and south poles.

To make them visible away from the poles - and for displays to be seen in less traditional areas - the solar storms have to be extremely powerful.

And for any large display to be truly visible timing is critical - the most powerful storm needs to coincide with our nighttime and also demands extremely clear skies - which created the ideal conditions seen earlier this month.

While this means a full repeat of the displays two weeks ago are perhaps less likely, Met Office space weather expert Krista Hammond believes there will be some activity.

The sunspot region will be rotated back towards Earth in the next few weeks which will pave the way for further geomagnetic storms. But where that might lead to an appearance of the Northern Lights currently remains less clear.

She said: “The chances of the same sunspots doing the same thing again – It’s probably quite slim.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it comes around and there’s some activity on it, but it won’t be I doubt, a repeat performance.

“There are a couple of mass ejections on their way to Earth.

“Just because we’re not seeing aurora across the whole of the UK, it doesn’t mean that we’re not going to see it in some areas,” she added.