Northern lights: The very best footage of the aurora taken throughout the UK

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are flickering shows of inexperienced and pink mild within the night time sky, as seen on this picture taken from a viewing level overlooking the city of Fort William within the west of Scotland on 26 February.

They’re generated when bursts of photo voltaic wind – a stream of charged particles expelled from the outer layer of the solar – collide with Earth’s magnetic subject. Whereas this subject often deflects a lot of the particles, it’s weaker across the poles, the place particles can penetrate the higher environment and strike gasoline molecules. These molecules acquire after which lose vitality within the type of mild particles, or photons, releasing tiny flashes of sunshine that mix to fill the sky with swirling patterns of color.

Previously couple of days, magnetic disturbances within the solar’s higher environment have triggered an enormous expulsion of electrically charged particles, in an occasion often called a coronal mass ejection. Along with an particularly high-speed photo voltaic wind, aurorae have reached places reminiscent of Anglesey in north Wales and Dorset within the south of England.

There could also be one final likelihood tonight to see the northern lights brought on by the latest coronal mass ejection within the far north of Scotland, maybe close to the coastal village of Hopeman, the place beautiful footage have been taken on 26 February. However the aurorae gained’t be seen as far south as in latest days as a result of the solar’s exercise is easing.

For those who missed the latest spectacle, one of the best locations to hunt out the northern lights embody Stockholm in Sweden, the place these mesmerising inexperienced aurorae have been captured over town on 27 February. Different good locations to view the aurorae embody Iceland, southern components of Greenland and northern components of Finland, Norway, Canada and Alaska.