Northern Lights Dazzle Skies Across the UK, with Sightings Possible Until Tuesday

London: The northern lights lit up skies across the United Kingdom on Friday and Saturday evenings, with sightings reported as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent.

The Met Office said the natural phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, could remain visible until Tuesday under clear skies across Scotland and areas at similar geomagnetic latitudes.

The aurora borealis is a natural light display driven by solar activity and geomagnetic storms interacting with the Earth’s upper atmosphere. According to the Met Office, the sun releases a stream of charged particles known as solar wind, which travels at about one million miles per hour. When these particles meet the Earth’s magnetic field, particularly when the polarity of the solar wind is opposite to that of the Earth, they are funnelled towards the magnetic poles.

The forecaster explained that as these energetic particles collide with gases in the upper atmosphere, they release energy in the form of light, creating colourful displays in the sky. Oxygen produces green light and, at higher altitudes, rarer red auroras, while nitrogen creates blue and purple hues.

Experts said last year that 2026 would be a peak year for aurora sightings, as the sun is in a heightened state of activity as part of its natural 11-year cycle.