Stargazers in the UK were able see the Northern Lights last night, an uncommon opportunity to see this natural phenomenon.
The spectacle was especially enjoyed by homeowners in Scotland and the north of England. It could reappear on Sunday night.
Kathel, a Welsh Avid Traveller, trekked to Dustanburgh Castle in Northumberland to see the Lights.
The Northern Lights Overnight at Belhaven Bridge in Dunbar Scotland.
The Met Office stated that the weather in space was what enabled Brits to see the Lights. This was after the Sun released a large solar flare on Thursday and also plasma from its outer layer.
She wrote, “What a night watching meteors, Aurora, and just standing in awe beneath the blanket of stars above me,” on Twitter.
“Best of all, I got to share it my eldest who insisted on going along.
According to the Met Office, “The Northern Lights were spotted in many locations in the UK and Iceland.”
It also released footage from space showing the spectacle.
Alan MacKinnon was also the lighthouse keeper at Cantick Head in the south of Orkney. He released footage of a time lapse of the Lights.
Kathel, an avid traveller from Wales trekked to Dustanburgh castle for the Lights (Image @Kathelcymru
She was there with her eldest son when she saw the lights. She stated that she stood ‘in amazement under the blanket of stars’ above her son. (Image: @Kathelcymru
The Northern Lights visited Dustanburgh Castle, Northumberland, on the east coast England. (Image: @Kathelcymru
Scotland saw the Lights also stop by. Dali Mach, a Keen photographer, saw this amazing view in the Outer Hebrides. (Image: @DaliMach
The Met Office stated that the weather in space was what enabled Brits to see the Lights. This was after the Sun released a large solar flare on Thursday and also plasma from its outer layer.
NASA said the solar flare – a powerful burst of radiation – was ‘significant’.
The Met Office has added plasma, known as a coronal Mass Ejection (CMEs), which could mean that Britons will be able see the Lights into Sunday.
A solar flare refers to a sudden explosion of energy from the Sun. It occurs when energy stored in twisted magnetic fields (usually higher than sunspots), is suddenly released.
They heat materials to millions of degrees in a matter of minutes and emit a burst radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. This includes radio waves, x-rays, and gamma radiation.
Solar flares are different to ‘coronal mass ejections’ (CMEs), which are huge bubbles of gas threaded with magnetic field lines and ejected from the Sun over the course of several hours.
On October 28, the Sun produced a significant solar flare, peaking at 11:35 am EDT. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured this image of the event
Solar storms can be described as both CMEs or solar flares.
These events cause disturbances in Earth’s magnetosphere, which are usually concentrated around the Earths magnetic poles.
The Northern Lights – also known as the aurora borealis – is predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic), so any glimpse in the UK is a rare treat for stargazers.
WHAT TRIGGERS THE STUNNING NATURAL DIPLAYS AND WHAT AURORAS ARE?
The Northern and Southern Lights, also known as the “Auroras”, are natural light spectacles that are triggered by our atmosphere.
There are two types Aurora: Aurora Borealis which is a ‘dawn in the north’ and Aurora Australis which is a ‘dawn in the south’.
The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
There are two types: Aurora Borealis (file pic), which is the ‘dawn from the north’; and Aurora Australis (dawn from the south). The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere
Usually the particles, sometimes referred to as a solar storm, are deflected by Earth’s magnetic field.
They can also enter the atmosphere during stronger storms and collide with gas particles like hydrogen and Helium.
These collisions emit light. Although they are most common in pale green and pink, there are many colors that Auroral displays can be seen.