Stargazers in parts of Britain were treated to a spectacular display from the Northern Lights on Sunday night.
A geomagnetic storm around northern areas and some central parts of the UK meant the aurora borealis could be seen further south than usual.
The aurora is said to have been visible as far south as the English Channel due to the severity of the solar storm.
From the Shetland Islands to the Isle of Scilly, the #aurora was seen right across the UK last night 🌌
— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) April 24, 2023
All because of a huge geomagnetic storm registering 4 out of 5 on the scale.
Simon | https://t.co/C40Sk7xZLa pic.twitter.com/ShQ3Czk073
AuroraWatch UK, set up and run by astronomers at the University of Lancaster, recorded a “red alert” at 12.40am on Monday meaning an aurora was considered likely.
The Met Office said in a statement: “In Scotland and northern England you may be able to spot the #Aurora Borealis tonight, though there will be too much cloud for most.”
However, it added that the weather forecast is better for tomorrow and Monday night may be the best opportunity to get a good view of the Northern lights.
The high solar activity is believed to be down to a coronal mass ejection (CME) which happened over the weekend. A CME is where a large amount of energetic and highly magnetised plasma is belched out by the Sun in one go.
If the direction of the plasma jet is towards Earth it can lead to Earth’s magnetic field being bombarded with vast amounts of highly charged particles which then create the spectacular light show when interacting with our planet’s magnetic field.
