Last night, residents of Bishop’s Stortford were treated to an extraordinary celestial spectacle, as the Northern Lights made a rare appearance across nearly all of the country.
The captivating phenomenon, typically reserved for polar regions, danced across the horizon, painting the night sky with vibrant hues of green, blue, and purple.
The breathtaking display was captured by many in the late evening into the early morning through both their phones and cameras, providing some awe-inspiring images.
The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, is caused when energetic particles from the Sun, interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, causing elements in the atmosphere to become energised. The green in the aurora is caused by oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.
NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) issued its first high-level warning for potential infrastructure damage by CME (coronal mass ejection) since 2005, meaning electrical utility and satellite companies have to make changes to their operations to ensure grids and networks are undamaged by the particle ejection from the Sun.
Those who missed last night’s events could well be in luck again tonight (Saturday 11) as conditions look likely to be favourable for Aurora again. While it is not possible to accurately predict more than 45 minutes in advance, the sunspot activity on the Sun is currently at its most intense since for many years.
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