The great northern lights in the United Kingdom

A very rare natural spectacle allowed people in the UK to see the northern lights in the far south on Sunday night. The amazing play of color in the sky can be seen in Kent and Cornwall.

(current BBC contribution on this topic)

And it is also said that in Scotland—that is, the farthest north—the observations were the best for a long time. Countless photos from weather watchers around the world have gone viral on social media. The BBC has compiled part of it into one post.

It is exciting to expect more phenomena of this kind in the coming nights. This is because strong solar flares have occurred over the past few days, and their charged particles reached our atmosphere on Sunday evening.

The charged particles then interact with the oxygen and nitrogen, essentially causing a play of colours, usually near the poles. This phenomenon can only be seen in the middle latitudes of southern England during particularly powerful eruptions.

weather photographer commented on BBC From Norfolk on the natural phenomenon: “We had a wonderful display of the northern lights last night. It was clearly visible to the naked eye.”

Since the Sun goes through an eleven-year solar cycle, and its maximum activity is not expected until 2025, such sightings are expected to occur more frequently in the coming years. Night searching can be beneficial on clear winter nights.

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