Send us your pictures of the Northern Lights
People across Merseyside were lucky enough to see the Northern Lights last night, October 10. The weather phenomenon, also known as aurora borealis, are most likely to be visible in areas of clear sky and fortunately skies across Merseyside offered for perfect images of the spectacle.
Remote, open areas with views of the northern horizon are best for sightings, with the lights unlikely to be visible until it gets very dark. 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. 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.
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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. ECHO readers have been sending in their photos of last night's mesmerising sky from across the region to our Facebook page.
Met Office spokesman said there had been "more space weather events in recent months" including the Northern Lights, because the sun was nearing the peak of its solar cycle. The sun’s cycle lasts for about 11 years as its magnetic fields flip, and during the ‘solar maximum’ phase, there are many more solar flares and solar storms.''
This means the Northern Lights appear much further south than they normally would. 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.
The chance of seeing the Northern Lights again tonight appears to be much slimmer according to the Met Office. In its latest space weather forecast, the Met Office says: “The chances of aurora remain initially, though gradually easing through 11 October, becoming increasingly confined to far northern geomagnetic latitudes by 13 October.”
We have been treated to hundreds of spectacular images of the aurora but we want to see more. After all, it's not very often they can be seen so clearly over England. You can submit your pictures here or below.