Britons gaze up in wonder as Northern Lights illuminate the world

Britons stayed up all night to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights as a massive solar storm brought a beautiful aurora to the skies above the UK.

In rare and spectacular sightings on Friday night, the aurora was spotted across the country, from Whitley Bay in the North East to as far south as Kent and Hampshire.

The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, were seen in Essex, Cambridgeshire, Berkshire, Suffolk, and Liverpool.

The stunning light show came as the most powerful solar storm in almost 20 years hit Earth on Friday night.

Space weather experts said buffeting solar wind is colliding with our planet’s magnetic field, triggering strong aurora at more southerly latitudes than normal.

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

The Northern Lights are set to be visible until dawn on Saturday, but may appear (in places with clear skies and not thunderstorms) on Saturday night too.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned on Saturday morning that the “extreme” geomagnetic storm is classed as a G5 – the strongest level of space storm – and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.

People up and down the UK took to social media to share their images of the Northern Lights.

Kathleen Cunnea, in Great Horkesley, Essex, said: “It was absolutely stunning to see.”

Dr David Boyce, a science teacher in Rutland, shared that he was telling himself not to cry as the aurora lit up the sky above him and wasn’t sure if he was having a “religious experience” or going through “an alien abduction”.

Some of the most striking photographs from the UK were taken on beaches in the north, at Crosby Beach in Liverpool and Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear.

At Whitley Bay the aurora lit up St Mary’s Lighthouse in a remarkable display.

People flocked to Crosby Beach, where they were joined by Antony Gormley’s Another Place sculptures.

Gormley’s installation, which was finished in 2005, consists of 100 cast iron statues facing out to sea and provided a striking eeriness against the backdrop of the aurora.

The phenomenon was seen across larges parts of Europe too, with stunning images captured in Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

The aurora also reached the US, where the NOAA said the lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and southern California, while they were also seen in Oklahoma and Missouri.

Sightings were also reported as far away as Tasmania in Australia.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said on Friday that people in the UK could get another glimpse of the Northern Lights on Saturday.

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

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

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

In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.

When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area - which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.

As it happened – Northern Lights illuminate Britain

05:27 AM BST

Dawn comes to end the fun

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.

04:35 AM BST

Aurora reaches the US

04:07 AM BST

‘Religious experience or alien abduction?’

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:

Meanwhile, Jacob Anderson, an amateur photographer from Edinburgh, said the city “feels like a different planet tonight” as he shared images of the National Monument.

03:54 AM BST

Storm is ‘extreme’, say US scientists

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

03:43 AM BST

More of your comments

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!”

03:24 AM BST

In pictures: The best of tonight’s Northern Lights

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.

03:01 AM BST

How to watch the Northern Lights

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.

02:26 AM BST

Britons share their brilliant photos

02:20 AM BST

‘Absolutely biblical’ skies over Tasmania

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:

Mr O’Riordan said he also captured this photograph a few days ago:

01:53 AM BST

Aurora is crystal clear over Irish airport

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.

01:49 AM BST

Night sky lights up Gormley sculptures

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.

01:25 AM BST

Beautiful colours in Switzerland

01:10 AM BST

Your comments

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!”

12:45 AM BST

Imagine for a second

... 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?

12:43 AM BST

People are just having a lovely time

12:38 AM BST

The view from Germany

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.

12:25 AM BST

Gorgeous display over Basingstoke

12:17 AM BST

... and it might last until Saturday night

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.”

12:11 AM BST

People gather on Crosby beach

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.

11:51 PM BST

Pictured: stunning shots of Northern Lights over Britain

11:25 PM BST

Britons thrilled by Northern Lights

Lots of people are already posting pictures on social media from tonight’s storm, with some capturing some corking images of the Northern Lights over the UK.

09:38 PM BST

How long will they be visible for?

The scale of the geomagnetic storm heading to Earth is the largest in two 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 emissions from 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.

09:38 PM BST

What time will Northern Lights be visible?

A range of solar eruptions have 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.

09:38 PM BST

Best place to see Northern Lights in UK

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.