Northern Lights shimmer across the UK due to possible ‘severe’ geomagnetic storm

The Northern Lights put on a magnificent display on Tuesday night as skygazers in some parts of the country were treated to their beauty.

Last night, the aurora borealis once again dazzled the skies with vibrant shades of green and red.

They can usually be seen every few months in the UK – but only in some parts of the country. This is usually dependent on location, solar activity and clear skies.

What causes the Northern Lights?

According to Royal Museums Greenwich, the lights are caused by activity on the surface of the Sun.

Solar storms on our star’s surface produce big clouds of electrically charged particles which travel millions of miles – and some may eventually collide with the Earth.

Most of these particles are deflected away but some become captured by Earth’s magnetic field.

They accelerate down towards the north and south poles into the atomosphere – which explains why the Northern Lights are concentrated at the magnetic poles.

This means that what we’re seeing are atoms and molecules in the atmosphere colliding with particles from the Sun.

What are the different colours of the Northern Lights?

The two main gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. These elements produce different colours during a display of the lights.

The shades of green are characteristic of oxygen, while the purple, blue or pink colours you can see are caused by nitrogen.

When the Northern Lights are a scarlet red colour, this means the oxygen is at a very high altitude interacting with solar particles, according to Royal Museums Greenwich. But this only occurs when the lights are energetic.

Where can I see the Northern Lights?

Under normal conditions the northern oval can be seen in Scandinavia, Greenland, Alaska in the US, Canada and Russia, according to the British Geological Survey. Meanwhile the southern oval covers the Antarctic regions.

But increasing geomagnetic activity causes these ovals to spread. This means that during periods of high geomagnetic activity the Northern Lights can be seen further south – so people in the UK can view them.

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