The Northern Lights were seen again over Britain on Monday night, with a lit up sky and dazzling stargazers across the UK on Sunday.
The incredible display was visible across much of the country – including as far south as Berkshire and Wiltshire, where the aurora borealis danced in the sky above Donnington Castle and Stonehenge.
Unfortunately the screen was dimmed for some as Monday night brought a cloudier sky, obscuring the lights from view.
But many skywatchers managed to capture stunning images of the mesmerizing phenomenon.
Extremely rare occasion when the Northern Lights are visible over Great Yarmouth Northern Lights over Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, UK – February 27, 2023
The Northern Lights from Aurora Borealis at Donnington Castle, Newbury, Berkshire, Feb. 27
The February 27 photo shows the Aurora image over Cambridgeshire’s new Ely Fens on Monday evening
Some Twitter users took to the platform to share their Northern Lights snaps
Earlier Monday night, the Met Office said: “(An)Aurora is possible again to similar latitudes, perhaps as far south as central or southern England.”
According to the British Geological Survey, the best way to see it is to find a dark place, away from street lights and ideally a cloudless sky.
Experts say skywatchers should generally look north, though the spectacular sight could be overhead or elsewhere.
Looking up around midnight, or early Tuesday morning, offers the best chance of seeing it.
But Monday night and early Tuesday morning will be cloudy for many.
Royal Museums Greenwich explains on its website that the lights are caused by solar storms on the sun’s surface that eject clouds of electrically charged particles that can travel millions of miles and collide with Earth.
This phenomenon is known as a coronal mass ejection (CME).
These highly charged particles whiz toward Earth.
Most particles are deflected away, but some are caught in the Earth’s magnetic field and accelerate down to the north and south poles, where they collide with atoms and molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The lights we see dancing in the sky are the product of this collision between atoms and molecules from the Earth’s atmosphere and particles from the sun.
As the Sun’s magnetic activity is expected to increase as we approach 2025, we will likely be treated to this impressive spectacle more often in the years to come.
Northern Lights over Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. Issue date: Monday, February 27, 2023
The Met Office tweeted a series of photos taken by members of the public capturing the light phenomenon in Scotland’s North Uist, North Wales, Cambridgeshire and Shropshire.
The National Weather Service tweeted on Sunday: “A rapid stream of coronal holes arrived tonight coupled with a fairly rapid coronal mass ejection leading to #Aurora sightings in the UK.”
In a separate tweet, it encouraged users to upload photos of other sightings using the hashtag #LoveUKWeather.
On Sunday, 40-year-old Alasdair O’Dell from Dunbeg near Oban, Scotland, managed to capture the lights in Connel, just down the road from where he lives.
He said he hoped to catch a glimpse of the “spectacle show” again on Monday evening.
“I will always try to see the Northern Lights if possible. It’s a very exciting natural phenomenon,” Mr O’Dell told the PA news agency.
“We’re lucky enough to see them in Scotland sometimes – when it’s not raining – but Sunday night was the most spectacular show I’ve seen since I’ve been here. I’m going out again (Monday evening) with my camera.’
Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones stood out against the beautiful Northern Lights
Stonehenge was illuminated in a mystical light as the ancient stones stood out against the beautiful Northern Lights
Lights sparkled behind the Silvanus Roman sculpture on Croy Hill, North Lanarkshire at about 10pm, with reds and greens seen through stargazers
Craig Smith, 43, who works in construction and lives in Blackburn, Lancashire, also managed to capture the flickering Northern Lights in the sky above his hometown.
Mr Smith told PA news: ‘I’ve seen the lights from home several times (and they’re) always great to see.
“The (coronal mass ejection) that hit Earth last night put on a great show.
‘The lights danced. (It’s) just a pity that the clouds were just starting to roll in when they started.’
In November last year, strong light shows were seen all over Scotland.
A Met Office spokesman said the rare sightings of the aurora borealis further south in the UK on Sunday evening were due to the ‘strength’ of a geomagnetic storm and the ‘stretch of cloudless skies’ in southern regions.
