Northern Lights shimmer over UK in stunning photos

The Northern Lights have splashed vivid colour across UK night skies once again, with stunning images captured all across the country.

The lights, also known as aurora borealis, were expected to be seen only as far south as the Midlands, but Thursday night was the strongest and most widespread showing of the phenomenon in the UK since May, according to BBC Weather.

The aurora forecast is not looking as good for Friday night, with cloud cover and rain expected to prevent sightings.

Sky-watchers in the Shetland Islands have the best chance.

BBC Weather Watchers, readers and viewers sent in almost 5,000 photos of the lights after Thursday’s display – here are some of the best, along with some agency pictures and snaps shared with the BBC on social media.

The Northern Lights have been visible right across the UK and into continental Europe after an extremely geomagnetic storm – G5 – which is the highest on the 1-5 scale.

Starting at around 19:00 BST on Thursday, many people were able to view the aurora. It then weakened slightly for a time, before coming back even stronger around midnight and continuing until dawn on Friday.

Meteorologists advise a long exposure camera when trying to capture the auroras, as the phenomenon is not always visible with the naked eye.

However, many people reported that they were able to see some of the colours further south without using cameras.

What used to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for people in the UK – or a bucket list trip to the Arctic circle – has become more common in the last couple of years.

The auroras have been particularly visible in 2024 due to the biggest geomagnetic storm since 2003, according to Sean Elvidge, a professor in space environment at the University of Birmingham.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

The auroras are most commonly seen over high polar latitudes, and are chiefly influenced by geomagnetic storms which originate from activity on the Sun.

The UK has seen more of the Northern Lights in 2024 than in many recent years.

Increased UK sightings have been helped by the Sun reaching a “maximum” in it’s 11-year solar cycle.

During this maximum, the number of sunspots increases which leads to more Coronal Mass Ejections sending charged particles to Earth, creating the aurora.

With overall high activity on the Sun with lots of sunspots, there is a high chance we’ll get more of these Coronal Mass Ejections directed to Earth in the coming months.

However, experts say whilst it will still be possible to see the Northern Lights in the UK once the Sun passed its peak, stargazers should expect a “gradual decline” in visibility.