The Northern Lights, known as the Aurora Borealis, were visible across the UK on Friday and Saturday evenings, including as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night. The display resulted from increased solar activity, and the Met Office has said sightings could continue during clear skies until Tuesday.
Northern Lights seen across the UK, reaching as far south as Kent
The Northern Lights, known as the Aurora Borealis, were visible across the UK on Friday and Saturday evenings, including as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night. The display resulted from increased solar activity, and the Met Office has said sightings could continue during clear skies until Tuesday.
The phenomenon is mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, the article states. Particularly strong activity levels meant it could be seen further south, including in Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night.
The Northern Lights are caused by powerful solar eruptions from the Sun called coronal mass ejections (CMEs), according to the article. Towards the end of last week, the Sun was observed to unleash CMEs directed towards the Earth.
The stream of charged particles can be captured by the Earth's magnetic field and directed into the atmosphere, especially towards polar regions, the article states. When these charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, photons of coloured light are emitted, producing the aurora.
- The source does not state the calendar dates corresponding to the Friday, Saturday and Tuesday references.
- The source does not state the times of night at which the aurora was visible.
- The source does not quantify the strength of the solar activity or the geomagnetic disturbance.
- The source does not give locations where sightings were confirmed beyond the counties named.
- The source does not state whether the Met Office issued any formal alert level for the display.
- The source text supplied appears truncated; some material may be missing.