A breathtaking timelapse video has captured the Northern Lights illuminating the skies over the North Sea on Monday night, a rare spectacle visible across much of the UK due to a significant solar storm. This event provided stunning views of the aurora borealis, with vibrant colors reported from Scotland to southern England.
The video was created from 782 individual photographs taken over three hours and forty minutes from Flamborough in East Yorkshire, recorded by Astro Dog, an astronomy and astrophotography business. It vividly displays the greens, purples, and reds of the aurora as they moved across the horizon, offering a mesmerizing glimpse into this celestial phenomenon.
This widespread visibility was caused by a coronal mass ejection from the Sun, which released charged particles that interacted with Earth’s magnetic field. The Met Office Space Weather Centre had forecasted the possibility, with the geomagnetic storm reaching a G2 moderate level, allowing sightings as far south as Dorset for the first time this autumn.
Space weather experts indicated that increased solar activity could persist, with a chance of a G4 severe storm on Tuesday night, potentially making the Northern Lights visible to the naked eye across more areas. However, factors like cloud cover and light pollution in urban regions could affect visibility, with clearer skies expected in Scotland.
For those attempting to view or photograph the aurora, recommendations included using long exposure settings on cameras with tripods to avoid blur, or smartphone night mode with exposure times of three to five seconds. These techniques can enhance the capture of the lights even when not visible to the eye.
The Northern Lights occur when solar winds carry particles that collide with atmospheric gases, and such events are more frequent during peaks in solar activity. Forecasters advise the public to monitor space weather updates for future opportunities, as similar displays may recur in the coming days.
As solar cycles intensify, these occurrences could become more common, providing more chances for aurora sightings in the UK. Scientists continue to study these events for their beauty and potential impacts on technology, such as satellite communications and power grids.
