Solar activity increased on New Year’s Eve with a geomagnetic storm sending bursts of energy – charged particles – directed towards Earth.
These eventually entered our atmosphere on Wednesday evening where interactions with oxygen and nitrogen create the vivid colours of the aurora.
Oxygen atoms glow green – the colour most often seen in the Northern Lights.
Nitrogen atoms emit purple, pink and red.
With it being a particularly strong geomagnetic storm, the Northern Lights travel further from the poles to lower latitudes across the UK.
The Met Office Space Weather Centre forecasts suggest that with another eruption of charged particles expected to reach Earth over the weekend, there’ll be another opportunity to see the Northern Lights.
Cloud permitting of course.
