The Northern Lights

[Erin-Rose-x]

How often/where/when do they occur?

[kia cat]

Erin - don't know whereabouts you are, but this gives good overview http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/iono/aurorawatch/ and there's loads on youtube too.

[Answerprancer]

The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) can be seen in Northern Scotland sometimes, they are best viewed from anywhere within the Arctic circle eg. Northern Norway, Iceland, Finland, Northern Sweden.
There are also the Southern Lights (Aurora Australis) seen within the Antarctic circle.
Apparently they are usually more intense at the equinoxes (around 21st March and 21st Sept) and at times just after a lot of intense solar activity.
There were supposedly some sighting opportunities further south recently due to a massive eruption on the sun a couple of weeks ago.

[Teddio]

In the north of England there are typically more than 50 displays of the Aurora Borealis per year. Most of these are very faint and appear as "auroral arcs" near to the north-western horizon. You need a very dark sky and a moonless night to see them.

[jomifl]

I saw the aurora borealis about 45 years ago in the new forest (south coast of england). It consisted of broad diagonal/vertical bars of purplish light which didn't move noticeably. I even managed to photograph it quite successfully.