Northern Lights Reach Kent as UK Aurora Display May Last Until Tuesday
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Oct 10
Northern Lights Reach Kent as UK Aurora Display May Last Until Tuesday
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Oct 10
Summary
Devon, Hampshire and Kent joined much of the UK in seeing the northern lights on Friday and Saturday, an unusually southerly spread for a phenomenon usually confined to northern Scotland and Arctic latitudes.
Tuesday is the latest point the Met Office says sightings could continue, with clear skies and matching geomagnetic longitudes giving Scotland the best chance.
solar wind particles traveling about 1 million mph are being funnelled toward Earth’s magnetic poles, where collisions with atmospheric gases produce the colored light display.
2026 was already expected to be a strong aurora year because the sun is in an active phase of its 11-year cycle, increasing the odds of geomagnetic storms.