On Thursday night, the Aurora Borealis could be seen throughout the UK, all the way down to Kent.
To finally experience the Northern lights is a dream for many. But what if I were to tell you that this Thursday, 10th of October that dream came true for countless people across the UK. The Northern Lights were spotted as far south as London and Kent, lighting the sky with bright pink hues right over your home.
The Northern Lights - also known as the Aurora Borealis - is caused by geomagnetic storms. This is when protons and electrons from the sun - known as solar wind - crash into the Earth's atmosphere, giving out energy in the form of light.
The particles in our atmosphere then cause the vibrant colours of the Aurora Borealis. The pink colour visible last night was caused by nitrogen in the atmosphere interacting with the solar wind.
You wouldn't be wrong if you think the Northern Lights have been more frequent this year. Stephen Dixon from the Met Office said that more frequent space events have been a result of the sun coming close to reaching the peak of its solar cycle.
The solar cycle is the 11-year variation in the sun's activity, measured by the number of sunspots on the sun's surface. Around halfway through this cycle, we reach the 'solar maximum', Leading to significantly more Northern Lights displays.
According to Dr pål Brekke, a solar physicist at the Norwegian Space Agency, the most frequent and intense Northern night displays are predicted to be from 2024 to potentially 2026.
This means that if you were unlucky enough to miss this particular display, it is likely that there will be more events within the next few years, although this is not guaranteed to happen.
To ensure you know when the next space event will be, check weather services and news sites frequently, for instance, the BBC and Met Office. As well as this you can also download the AuroraWatch UK app to receive notifications when there is high geomagnetic activity in your area.
