Northern Lights shimmer over UK in stunning photos

The Northern Lights have splashed vivid colour across UK night skies once again, with stunning images captured all across the country.

The lights, also known as aurora borealis, were expected to be seen only as far south as the Midlands, but Thursday night was the strongest and most widespread showing of the phenomenon in the UK since May, according to BBC Weather.

The aurora forecast is not looking as good for Friday night, with cloud cover and rain expected to prevent sightings.

Sky-watchers in the Shetland Islands have the best chance.

BBC Weather Watchers, readers and viewers sent in almost 5,000 photos of the lights after Thursday's display - here are some of the best, along with some agency pictures and snaps shared with the BBC on social media.

Thursday's Northern Light display seen in Gwynedd.
Gwynedd [Cat Lloyd]
A man stands on top of a tractor with the Northern Lights in the background in Frieth, Buckinghamshire
Frieth, Buckinghamshire [EmWin/Weather Watchers]

The Northern Lights have been visible right across the UK and into continental Europe after an extremely geomagnetic storm - G5 - which is the highest on the 1-5 scale.

Starting at around 19:00 BST on Thursday, many people were able to view the aurora. It then weakened slightly for a time, before coming back even stronger around midnight and continuing until dawn on Friday.

Meteorologists advise a long exposure camera when trying to capture the auroras, as the phenomenon is not always visible with the naked eye.

However, many people reported that they were able to see some of the colours further south without using cameras.

What used to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for people in the UK – or a bucket list trip to the Arctic circle – has become more common in the last couple of years.

The auroras have been particularly visible in 2024 due to the biggest geomagnetic storm since 2003, according to Sean Elvidge, a professor in space environment at the University of Birmingham.

Thursday's Northern Light display seen in Denbighshire
Denbighshire [Ruth Davies]
A splash of colour illuminates the night sky about a residential street in London on Thursday night
Greater London [Joe/Twitter]
Cheshire
Cheshire [Michaela Howard]
Thursday's Northern Light display seen in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire [Caroline Alton]
A silhouette of tree against a sky coloured in shades of purple and blue in Buckinghamshire
Seer Green, Buckinghamshire [Matt Graveling]
Angel of the North in Gateshead with Northern Lights behind it
Angel of the North, Gateshead [Reuters]
Vivid colours above Barrowford, Lancashire
Barrowford, Lancashire [Gracie Nuttall]
Renfrewshire in Scotland
Renfrewshire [Ian Johnson]
Red and green rays behind clouds in Thornliebank, Scotland
Thornliebank [Kevin Jackson]
Purple skies behind a house in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
County Fermanagh [Matt Fox]

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

The auroras are most commonly seen over high polar latitudes, and are chiefly influenced by geomagnetic storms which originate from activity on the Sun.

Pink-green skies in Great Oxendon, Northamptonshire
Great Oxendon, Northamptonshire [Carroll Weston]
A deep red/pink hue seen alongside homes in Durham
Durham [Alan Forrest]

The UK has seen more of the Northern Lights in 2024 than in many recent years.

Increased UK sightings have been helped by the Sun reaching a "maximum" in it's 11-year solar cycle.

During this maximum, the number of sunspots increases which leads to more Coronal Mass Ejections sending charged particles to Earth, creating the aurora.

With overall high activity on the Sun with lots of sunspots, there is a high chance we'll get more of these Coronal Mass Ejections directed to Earth in the coming months.

However, experts say whilst it will still be possible to see the Northern Lights in the UK once the Sun passed its peak, stargazers should expect a "gradual decline" in visibility.

Petersfield, Cambridgeshire
Petersfield, Cambridgeshire [Cloudyapple/Weather Watchers]
Yelling, Cambridgeshire. Northern Lights 10/10/24 Taken at 10p.m
Yelling, Cambridgeshire [Steve Hubbard]
Northern lights seen in the distance from between vine rows at the Riverview Crouch Valley Vineyard in Hullbridge, Essex at 10pm on 10/10/24
A vineyard in Hullbridge, Essex [Katie Yesil]