Northern Lights UK: Britons gaze up in wonder as aurora borealis illuminates the world (2024)

As the sun rises in the UK, the stunning light show we were treated to overnight fades out of sight.

The Northern Lights may be visible again on Saturday night as the huge solar storm continues to buffet the Earth.

But we are ending our live coverage for tonight.

Catch up on all the stunning photos from a spectacular night below – and see the best ones from Britain and around the world in our gallery.

Dr David Boyce, a science teacher in Rutland, has, like many Britons, been tweeting with great excitement this evening.

After earlier sharing that he was telling himself not to cry as the aurora lit up the sky above him, he summed up the thoughts of many tonight, tweeting:

The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased on Friday because of an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, hit earth on Thursday and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.

The cause of this storm is a “large, complex” sunspot cluster and is 17 times the diameter of earth, with the last storm with a G5 rating hitting earth in October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden.

The NOAA said the lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and southern California in the US.

Read more: Severe space storm could knock out mobile phones this weekend

Don’t forget, you can share your reaction to the amazing lightshow over our skies in the comments.

Here’s what Telegraph readers are saying about the aurora:

Charlotte Durley: “Witnessed an outstanding display over a loch in Perthshire this evening.”

Beautiful Vegan: “Amazing sight of them in Belsize Park in London. Sister even saw them in Portsmouth!!”

North Easterly: “Seeing it massively over New Forest - use an iPhone on looong exposure. Great pics!”

We’ve collected the best images of the aurora in this gorgeous gallery.

It’s got this lovely photo of one of the Gormley sculptures on Crosby beach – plus some crackers from the UK and Europe.

Just missed it or planning another look on Saturday night?

Here’s our guide to where and when to watch the Northern Lights this weekend.

The phenomenon is happening as far away as Tasmania.

Sean O’Riordan, an Irish photographer living in the Australian state, tweeted this remarkable photo of the aurora:

The sightings have reached as far as Ireland, with the Irish weather service Met Eireann posting images of the lights in Dublin and at Shannon Airport in Co Clare.

Now Shannon Airport might not be JFK International – but it’s striking how visible the colours of the aurora are above even the bright lights from an airport.

The aurora is lighting up Anthony Gormley’s Another Place sculptures on Crosby beach near Liverpool.

The installation, which was finished in 2005, consists of 100 cast iron statues facing out to sea.

You can share your reaction to the amazing sights over our skies in the comments.

Here are some of the best ones from Telegraph readers so far.

Another Try: “Wonderful views on South Coast. A once in a lifetime experience, I think.”

Auclan McIntyre: “Nice show over Reigate, too! First time ever seeing them too. At 65, a very happy man.”

Robert Matthew: “Great show in the skies across Northern Ireland too tonight! What a pleasure to finally see them!”

... what the Icelandic tourist board are thinking right now.

People all across Europe are getting to see the Northern Lights – some in the most spectacular detail – from their back gardens.

What’s “Christmas is cancelled” in Icelandic?

It’s not just Britons being treated to the Northern Lights tonight.

The massive solar storm is buffeting the skies above Europe, and some of the best images are from Germany.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said there is a good chance for the Northern Lights to be seen on Saturday night too, but you might need the right gear.

“Those conditions could continue on Saturday night but we still have to work out some details on where exactly that will be,” Mr Dixon said.

“There could even be visibility further south if you have the right equipment.”

Kathleen Cunnea, who posted a great snap of the sky from Great Horkesley, Essex (see post at 23:51), said: “It was absolutely stunning to see.”

People are gathering on Crosby beach to watch the Northern Lights.

The views from the Merseyside bay are too good to miss, despite the clock striking midnight.

The scale of the geomagnetic storm heading to Earth is the largest intwo decades and the effects will likely last several days.

The Northern lights will likely be visible until dawn on Saturday, but may appear (in places with clear skies and not thunderstorms) on Saturday night too.

CME travel and arrival is hard to predict, especially with several individual emissionsfrom the Sun.

Dr Ed Bloomer, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told The Telegraph that we could have some Northern Lights into next week.

“It may be that the maximum auroral activity is actually present on Monday and Thursday of next week,” he said.

A range of solar eruptionshave sent charged particles directly towards Earth over the last few days, and due to the slipstream they are all heading towards Earth together.

The particles are travelling at around 900km/s and are expected to hit Earth at around 2 to 3 am.

Prof Mathew Owens, the professor of Space Physics at the University of Reading, said it could be as early as around 12:40am.

Meteorologists say Scotland and the North of England will be the best places to see any upcoming aurorae from the large solar storm heading to Earth.

The geomagnetic disturbance is expected to be so significant it could spread south enough to be visible across the entire UK.

People hoping to see the Northern Lights should head somewhere dark, away from light pollution, and with a clear sky.

Dr Dan Brown, an associate professor of astronomy at Nottingham Trent University, said the only significant issue is that the skies do not get dark for too long at this time of year.

“So make sure to pick a dark sky place with darker skies due North and then fingers crossed,” he told The Telegraph.