The Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, has made a rare appearance across the UK, stunning sky watchers. Northern residents including Liverpool, Kent, Norfolk, and Sussex also shared pictures of the lights, while sightings have also been reported in parts of Scotland. This is due to one of the strongest geomagnetic storms that the Earth has experienced in years, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing a solar storm warning, increasing people’s chances of seeing the aurora borealis.
According to the NOAA, such storms could impact infrastructure including satellites and the power grid. BBC Weather revealed that clear skies, like those experienced on Friday evening, make sightings possible across most regions of the UK. Northern Ireland, Scotland and north of England usually have a higher likelihood of sighting the storm. Met Office spokesman, Stephen Dixon, stated “conditions could continue on Saturday night, but we still have to work out some details on where exactly that will be.” The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) suggested that the lights might even be seen as far south as Alabama and northern California.
The Northern Lights appear as bright, swirling curtains of light in the night sky and range in color from green to pink and scarlet. It is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. Different gases in the Earth’s atmosphere then become energized and emit different colored lights, with oxygen atoms forming a green glow and nitrogen atoms emitting purple, blue, and pink hues. The most impressive auroras are caused by powerful solar flares called “coronal mass ejections”.
BBC Weather presenter Elizabeth Rizzini has noted that “tonight’s the night but it will probably be visible tomorrow as well.” However, in the meantime, the NOAA has warned against potential disrupted infrastructure caused by the storm
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