The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, usually occur near the Arctic – but solar activity has seen much of the UK treated to the spectacular nighttime display
The northern lights, or aurora borealis, are flickering displays of green and red light in the night sky, as seen in this photo taken from a viewing point overlooking the town of Fort William in the west of Scotland on 26 February.
They are generated when bursts of solar wind – a stream of charged particles expelled from the outer layer of the sun – collide with Earth’s magnetic field. While this field usually deflects most of the particles, it is weaker around the poles, where particles can penetrate the upper atmosphere and strike gas molecules. These molecules gain and then lose energy in the form of light particles, or photons, releasing tiny flashes of light that combine to fill the sky with swirling patterns of colour.
There may be one last chance tonight to see the northern lights caused by the recent coronal mass ejection in the far north of Scotland, perhaps near the coastal village of Hopeman, where stunning pictures were taken on 26 February. But the aurorae won’t be visible as far south as in recent days because the sun’s activity is easing.
