On Sunday night, the United Kingdom witnessed an extremely unusual display of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, as far south as Kent and Cornwall. The display was one of the best in a very long time, spanning Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland, South Wales, and Norfolk in vivid greens and deep reds.
The cause of the display is closely related to solar surface activity. A powerful solar flare propelled charged particles towards Earth, where they interacted with our atmosphere and emitted green and red hues over our poles. If it is a powerful solar flare, these charged particles can move further from the polar regions and into middle latitudes, such as southern England.
The 11-year solar cycle of the sun is determined by the strength of its magnetic field. When this magnetic field fluctuates, so does the surface activity of the sun. The last solar low occurred in 2020, while the present level of solar activity is the highest since 2014, with solar maximum projected in 2025. This indicates that more frequent aurora displays are predicted in the coming years.
Anyone wishing to see the northern lights in the United Kingdom may get another chance on Monday night, if the sky is clear. According to reports, the show could reach as far as the Shetland Islands and Highland Scotland, so keep an eye out!
