Stargazers in London were treated to a rare sight as the Northern Lights were visible on the outskirts of the capital on Monday evening.
Madeleine Killick shared photos online that she took in Whetstone, Barnet, that showed the aurora borealis.
She captioned the pictures “More like North London Lights.”
More like North London Lights #northernlights #aurora pic.twitter.com/bjjsTw5TTK
— MADDY (@Mad_Kills) August 13, 2024
The Northern Lights put on a stunning show across the UK on Monday night, with sightings reported as far south as Cornwall.
Marina Muttik, 29, a software engineer who lives in Berkhamsted, Herts, but witnessed the Northern Lights and Perseid meteor shower from Chesham, Buckinghamshire, described the experience as “humbling”.
She said: “The aurora was peaking at around 11.30pm, which is when some of the pink became more visible to eye.
“It’s always humbling watching the night sky, and the Perseid meteor shower added a touch of magic – perfect for making a few wishes.”
Kirsty Louise, who is 30 and based in Plymouth, Devon, captured photos of the meteor shower on her phone at around 11.20pm on Monday.
She said: “Funnily enough I couldn’t actually see what I saw on my phone. When I saw the photos it made me feel happy, I absolutely love anything to do with space, so seeing that and knowing I caught it on my phone made me feel happy.”
Alongside the Northern Lights, people were treated to dazzling displays from the Perseid meteor shower.
In Northumberland, the shooting stars from the shower were seen darting through the sky which had turned hues of purple and green over the Bathing House in Howick.
According to the Met Office, the Northern Lights are usually best witnessed in Scotland, northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, under certain space weather conditions – a particularly strong geomagnetic storm – they can be seen throughout the UK.
This was the case in May when a rare display was seen in the capital.
The natural light display is caused by charged particles from the Sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.
The colour display depends in part on what molecules the charged particles interact with.
The Met Office forecast suggests the activity should return back to background levels on Tuesday, with any visible aurora restricted to the far north of Scotland.
Clear skies across the country also meant people were able to catch a glimpse of the Perseids on Monday night.
The event is associated with the dusty debris left by Comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.
The meteoroids from the comet, mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up as they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 36 miles per second, to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.
