Northern Lights glow up skies across UK in one of clearest sightings after huge solar storm
Like the morning after a major concert in your nearest city or a big party for one of your mates, I bet flicking through your Instagram stories when you woke up just showed a repeat of the same thing.
But instead of different angles of a rapper on stage at the AO Arena or someone blowing out candles on a caterpillar cake, it was of the Northern Lights.
And to be honest, if you hadn’t known, seeing that in the UK seems like a fever dream. Except it actually was real life. The Northern Lights lit up the sky across the country last night (10 May) in one of the clearest sightings after a huge solar storm.
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Described as a ‘severe solar storm’ by US agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Met Office warned the UK we’d be experiencing high solar activity.
And Brits from Whitley Bay on the north-east coast to even in the likes of Brixton, south London managed to see the aurora borealis.
Sightings in Suffolk were reported as well as in the likes of Liverpool, Kent, Hampshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Berkshire.
Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said yesterday: “Although the shorter nights will limit the visibility window, there’s a good chance to see the aurora, particularly on Friday night and especially in Scotland, Ireland and parts of northern England and Wales.
“There could even be visibility further south if you have the right equipment.
“Those conditions could continue on Saturday night but we still have to work out some details on where exactly that will be.”
And if our social media feeds are anything to go by, people certainly made the most of the opportunity and caught a glimpse of the incredible colours glowing in our British skies.
Users took to X to say it was ‘unbelievable’ and the ‘coolest thing ever’ as one compared it to ‘Skyrim’.
Another wrote: “I don't think this event will be topped for a very long time.”
Plenty said their ‘life goal’ had been ‘accomplished’ from their own back garden as many agreed: “Absolutely loving everyone in the UK collectively losing our minds at the Northern Lights tonight. Unreal!”
While others were gutted they’d had a nice early night, writing: “When the #NorthernLights is on your bucket list and you wake up to your time line full of #NorthernLights pics (#nofilter) in the UK . . . . . . and you were asleep.”
As one wrote: “Twice, I've flown to Iceland hoping to see the #NorthernLights but didn't even glimpse them. Last night, my wife mentioned that they may be visible in the UK. I dismissed this as nonsense and went to bed. Delighted to see thousands of photos proving just how wrong I was.”
Oh, and yep, you did read that Met Office statement right – it seems like there’s another chance to see them tonight in case you missed them yesterday.
Topics: Social Media, Travel
Jess Battison