Northern Lights: What explains their rare appearance in the UK

The Northern Lights seen in Whitley Bay on the coast of the United Kingdom — photo caption, The Northern Lights were seen in Whitley Bay on the coast of the United Kingdom on Friday (10/5).

May 11, 2024

On social media, many people shared photos of these lights, which even appeared in the south of the country, a sight that is still rare.

According to experts, the lights will appear again on Saturday night (11/5).

The Northern Lights were seen in many countries after a powerful geomagnetic storm hit the Earth several years ago.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also issued a rare solar storm warning.

These storms increase the chances of people seeing the lights.

Friday's intense geomagnetic storm was classified as a G5.

NOAA warned that storms of this magnitude could damage infrastructure, including satellites and the power grid. However, there are no reports of power outage till date.

photo caption, The northern lights can be seen in the English town of League

Clear skies on Friday night made it possible for people almost everywhere in the UK to see the Northern Lights.

As shown in the photos illustrating this report, the event was recorded in other countries as well.

In North America, NOAA said the lights were seen as far south as Alabama and as far north as California.

Several Northern European countries also hosted the show.

Cameras captured bright pink skies over Austria and purple over Germany. In addition, observers in Slovakia, Switzerland, Denmark and Poland recorded the light show.

These lights were also captured in China, where fuchsia skies were photographed in the north of the country.

photo caption, The northern lights are seen in the city of Tara in southwestern Siberia, Russia

How rare is it to see the northern lights in places like England?

The last time a serious geomagnetic storm hit Earth was in 2003, so Friday's event was considered rare.

For example, in the United Kingdom, it is very common to see the Northern Lights only in areas further north.

However, Britain has had more occasions over the past year to catch a faint glimpse of the aurora in the southern parts of England.

That's because we're approaching “solar maximum,” when there are naturally more sunspots on the Sun's surface in an 11-year solar cycle.

Sunspots are like giant volcanoes that eject charged particles in coronal mass ejections (CME). With more of them at this time, there is a greater chance of more frequent and stronger auroral activity.

Sightings have increased over the past two decades as science can better predict these events, and since many people today have a smartphone capable of capturing the aurora's bright lights.

And, as always, anywhere away from light pollution and with a clear view of the night sky will give you the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights.

The Aurora Borealis is visible at the Col des Moses Pass in Switzerland — photo caption, Apart from the United Kingdom, the Northern Lights can also be seen in other European countries such as Switzerland.

What makes the sky pink in the northern lights?

The aurora borealis is a spectacular light show of nature caused when explosions on the Sun's surface – called solar flares – collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere, creating bands of red, green and purple.

It is caused by charged particles from the Sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere. The colors are caused by the charged particles of various gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

The two most common gases in Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen atoms glow green – the color most often seen in the aurora borealis, while nitrogen atoms emit purple, blue and pink.

The most impressive auroras occur when the Sun emits large clouds of particles known as “coronal mass ejections.”

With reporting from BBC Weather's Simon King and BBC News' Jacqueline Howard.