Thousands of people were left disappointed after heading to the Kent coast last night to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Many were hoping to witness the spectacular aurora borealis for the second night in a row after the phenomenon lit up the skies on Friday – causing traffic chaos in some areas of Kent.
It followed the biggest solar storm in 20 years and remained visible until dawn, with Kent one of the best places in the UK for sightings.
Residents across the county who had missed out on the spectacle on Friday and were keen to catch a glimpse last night after experts claimed a second sighting would be a possibility.
But, with the Met Office warning the lights would be less visible in the southern parts of the UK on Saturday, people were left looking into the darkness.
People across the county took to social media to express their disappointment as the phenomenon was only witnessed in the Northern parts of the country yesterday.
Late last night, hundreds of cars were pictured along The Leas in Minster, Sheppey, as locals were hoping to to capture some spectacular images.
Resident John Nurden said: "It was weird because I'm not sure if I've even seen it that busy during the day.
"The cars were bumper to bumper along The Leas and the car parks were packed. People were walking along the beach and some had even put tents up."
He added: "I'm not sure if they were all there for the Northern Lights or just avoiding Eurovision!"
In Herne Bay, it was reported that roads were backed up a mile long near the historic Reculver Towers.
Molly Hazel posted: “Don’t try and go to Reculver to see the lights, you can’t get in.
“The roads are a mile backed up with people U – turning.”
Tate Barnes added: “Unfortunately it will be a wasted trip for most. The levels are nowhere near as good as yesterday.”
Danielle Louise said the road in Herne Bay was “heaving” with some travelling as far as “Medway and beyond” to try and see the Northern Lights at the historic landmark.
Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said yesterday: “It is hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be enhanced solar activity tonight, so the lights could be visible again in northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England.”
“The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are away from street lights and areas with lots of light pollution, as any type of light does have a big effect.
“Also, at this time of year, we are fighting the shorter length of nights, so it is unlikely that they will be visible until around 10.30pm or 11 o’clock when it gets really dark.”
Hundreds of people took to social media to share their own images of the colourful display on Friday night.
Ruth Brooks described it as a “life-long dream” to see the Northern Lights in her own back garden.
Wheeler Deborah Margaret said the event brought “tears to her eyes”.
She added: “My phone doesn’t do them justice but I’ll never ever forget the experience. I had goosebumps and tears.
“I stood there for four hours with a crick in my neck!”
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased on Friday night because of an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which was considered extreme and was the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, hit earth on Thursday, with fears it could affect communications, GPS and power grids.
The cause of the storm was a “large, complex” sunspot cluster and was 17 times the diameter of Earth, with the last storm with a G5 rating hitting earth in October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden.
The NOAA said the lights could be seen as far south as Alabama and southern California in the US on Friday.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
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.
