The Northern Lights illuminated skies across the UK on Friday and Saturday, reaching as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent, driven by powerful solar activity directed at Earth.
The Aurora Borealis occurs when coronal mass ejections from the Sun send charged particles towards Earth. The planet's magnetic field captures these particles and channels them into the atmosphere, where they collide with oxygen and nitrogen to produce coloured light. Towards the end of last week, the Sun released multiple ejections aimed at Earth.
On Saturday evening, geomagnetic activity reached 600 nanotesla (nT), unusually high levels that made the aurora visible across the entire UK, including southern regions. The Met Office noted such strength is rare for the south. The phenomenon typically requires activity levels of 200nT to be visible in northern areas only.
Sightings occurred across dozens of UK locations. Pink haze appeared in Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, on Friday. Purple tones illuminated Owston Ferry in North Lincolnshire, and mixed green and purple colours appeared in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland. Southern sightings included a purple glow in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and illumination in Holmwood, Surrey. Scotland's Orkney Islands offered strong viewing conditions, while Gourock in Inverclyde showed pink, blue and green displays.
The Met Office said sightings could continue during clear skies until Tuesday, with viewing particularly possible across Scotland and similar geomagnetic latitudes. To observe the lights, viewers should look northwards away from bright streetlights. Using a mobile phone camera improves visibility, as cameras capture colour better than the human eye in low-light conditions; the eye's rod cells do not perceive colour at night, rendering the aurora invisible or appearing black and white to observers without optical aid.
Experts predict 2026 will be a peak year for aurora-spotting. The Sun moves through an 11-year natural cycle of heightened activity, currently in an active phase.