Stunning Northern Lights dazzle UK skies for second night in ‘unforgettable’ display

The Northern Lights dazzled the night sky over the UK for a second night on Monday (27 February) after “perfect conditions” made the aurora visible.

The lights first became visible on Sunday evening (26 February) with people able to view the spectacle as far south as Cambridgeshire and Cornwall.

The head of space weather at the Met Office, Mark Gibbs, said it was “optimistic to expect clear sightings two nights in a row” and conditions on Sunday night of a cloud-free sky and clear air allowed people to see over long distances and spot the northern lights.

Northern Scotland was the best place to catch the phenomenon overnight on Monday. Cloudy skies forming over the south of England prevented keen stargazers from getting a second glimpse.

Drew McGrath, 36, was among those able to get a second sighting of the lights dancing over his home in the village of Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye.

The teacher told the PA news agency: “This was the second time seeing the colours with the naked eye. Greens and reds very clear and strong. Very similar to last night which was amazing too.

“The sheer height of them is hard to explain, they are just beautiful to watch and share. Heading to the shore I met with lots of folk in the village who were out to see them.”

The activity was the result of a solar storm, which Mr Gibbs said was not unusual for this point in the solar cycle.

He said: “What we saw (on Sunday) was a bubble of magnetised plasma particles that had come off the sun, and they happened to be heading towards the Earth in this instance.

“It took about two days for those particles to arrive from the sun, then the particles enter the Earth’s upper atmosphere and excite atoms. The most common sight is green, which is the result of oxygen atoms being excited. (Sunday) night we saw some reds and purples, indicative of nitrogen atoms being excited.”

‘Absolutely unforgettable’

PA photographer Owen Humphreys said he had “not seen pictures of the northern lights that strong and that far south in a very long time”.

Those who were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights took to social media to share their excitement and pictures of the display.

On Twitter Adam Groves thanked an EasyJet pilot for doing a “360 fly by mid flight to make sure all passengers could see the incredible Northern Lights” on his flight from Reyjavik to Manchester.

Another user shared a photo of the lights over Lincolnshire, and another over Dorset. He said: “Breathtaking Northern Lights over Lincolnshire last night. Managed to grab a pic when it was at its peak.”

Robin Goodlad tweeted: “WOW. I never thought I would get to see the Northern Lights this far south in the UK, here in Dorset! What an incredible display at Knowlton Church tonight, absolutely unforgettable.”