Northern lights: ‘Unbelievable scene’ of green skies as aurora borealis illuminates parts of UK

‘Witnessed mesmerizing northern lights over London during [a] midnight flight on Friday’

The Northern Lights in the skies over Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside on Thursday 12 September (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Sky-watchers across the UK were treated to a shimmering display of the northern lights on Thursday night.

The cloudless skies lit up in parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and England with brilliant blues, purples and greens.

The lights are more frequent in the north of the UK, but people as far as down the south Sussex coast reported sightings last night. Londoners were also treated to a rare glimpse.

One excited user on X said: “Unbelievable scene in the UK! Witnessed mesmerizing Northern Lights over London during [a] midnight flight on Friday. All thanks to a solar geomagnetic storm!”

Northern lights over Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

Meteorologists had predicted the appearance after identifying strong solar activity. They said the clear skies last night made ideal viewing conditions for those brave enough to face the cold.

Jonathan Vautrey, of the Met Office, explained how to spot the lights: “You want to be looking to the northern horizon, if you’ve got a clear view of the horizon you’ve got a chance. Sometimes it’s easier to see through a camera or telescope if you do have them."

The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, appear when charged particles collide with the gases of the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. This collision emits light of various wavelengths, spilling colour across the skies.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles (Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

The particles usually come from solar flares – explosions on the sun – or solar gas ejections.

Mr Vautrey said last night’s lights were caused by “a coronal mass ejection from the sun... that arrived to Earth [yesterday] morning”.

2024 has been a year of strong solar activity, meaning Brits have enjoyed more frequent sightings of the borealis. In mid-August the lights reached parts of Cornwall, and May saw a similarly strong display.

Vautrey said that while Thursday was the best viewing opportunity, there will be a chance of seeing the lights again on Friday and Saturday.