Did you see it?: Northern Lights shine over the UK & IE

The Northern Lights shone bright over Scotland last night, with the phenomenon also visible further south.

Typically restricted to more northerly latitudes, the aurora borealis is created by the reaction of solar particles in the magnetosphere.

Last week, three X-class solar flares were recorded on the Sun, including the strongest since 2017. A certain form of flare, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produce auroras.

An aurora alert was issued Sunday afternoon ahead of the event, which appeared most vibrantly over Scotland, though images also captured the colourful skies from the aurora over mountains in Wales’ Brecon Beacons and even in continental Europe.

The colours created in an aurora depends on the gases with which the solar particles react with.

Lower atmosphere oxygen produces green hues, the most seen, while upper atmosphere oxygen creates red tones. The purple colours are a result of a reaction with nitrogen.

While there is no simple way to forecast auroras, due to the volatility involved with the Sun. They are more common in the UK and Ireland in March, thanks to the equinox.

When the spring equinox occurs, this year on March 20, the Sun shines directly over the planet’s equator as the axis of the Earth shifts.

In March 2023, multiple auroras developed over the UK and Ireland throughout the month. This year, with the Sun approaching the peak in its Solar Cycle, we can expect more to come.