The Northern Lights were spotted as far south as Milton Keynes in England and the Brecon Beacons in Wales on Sunday night (April 23), with an ‘amber’ aurora borealis alert issued in the early hours of this morning (Monday, April 24).
Usually only seen in Scotland and further north, the phenomenon is caused by the collision of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. They appear as large areas of dancing colour – including pale green, pink, shades of red, yellow, blue and violet.
The Met Office says “This incredible occurrence can be occasionally seen in the night sky over Britain”.
READ MORE: Spectacular spiral in the night sky captivates witnesses in Alaska
The Met Office says “This incredible occurrence can be occasionally seen in the night sky over Britain”.
And last night was one such night, according to reports from across the UK. In the early hours of this morning (Monday, April 24) Lancaster University’s AuroraWatch UK issued an ‘Amber alert’ on Twitter.
The alert said the Northern Lights could be visible. However, the AuroraWatch UK website shows that reports of sightings had been coming in from across England and Waales since late on Sunday night.
There were ‘confirmed’ sightings on the website as far south as the Brecon Beacons in Wales. And, on Twitter, Darren Foster said it was “visible as far south as Milton Keynes earlier”.
The Met Office says: “The best conditions to view the lights are when the sky is dark and clear of any clouds. Cloud cover ultimately blocks the view of the light.
“Ideally, the lights will be best viewed away from any light pollution, in remote areas, facing the northern horizon – north facing coasts produce some of the best viewing locations.
“The northern lights are most active during the Equinox and Solstice in March/April and September/October.”
