Northern Lights Illuminate Skies Across the UK - BBC News
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Northern Lights Illuminate UK Skies
Residents across the UK were left stunned as the sky was illuminated by the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The natural phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, is the result of increased solar activity.
Such occurrences are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, but particularly strong activity levels meant they could be seen across Wales and as far south as Devon, Hampshire, and Kent on Saturday night.
According to the Met Office, sightings could continue to be possible during clear skies until Tuesday.
The Aurora Borealis is caused by powerful solar eruptions from the Sun, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Towards the end of last week, the Sun was observed to unleash CMEs directed towards the Earth. This stream of charged particles can get captured by the Earth's magnetic field and directed into our atmosphere, especially towards polar regions. When these charged particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen, coloured light is emitted—this is the aurora.
On Saturday evening, activity levels reached 600nT (nanotesla), meaning the aurora would be visible across the whole of the UK.
This is a much rarer phenomenon than when the aurora is only visible in the north. Experts have previously stated that 2026 will be a peak year for aurora-spotting due to the Sun's heightened state of activity as part of its 11-year natural cycle.