SIGHT TO BEHOLD
Brits stunned by dazzling Northern Lights display spotted as far south as Cornwall – and there are more to come
We explain why Northern Light sightings will be more common this year
THE UK was graced with a dazzling display of the Aurora Borealis last night, which reached as far south as Cornwall.
Otherwise known as Northern Lights, the spectacle is typically spotted in countries and areas closer to the magnetic north pole.
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But from time to time, folks further south are able to admire the bucket-list view.
Pictures flooded social media last night as people rushed out to capture the Northern Lights on camera.
There were also plenty of posts from people who missed them.
But luckily, there will be more Northern Lights displays to come that will be even brighter than last night's.
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More displays to come
There is set to be a big uptick in Northern Lights sightings from this year through to 2025.
This is because we are entering the sun's Solar Maximum - when solar activity peaks during the sun's 11-year solar cycle.
During this time, the sun produces “dramatically more” auroral displays, Darren Baskill, a physics and astronomy lecturer at Sussex University, explains.
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The next high point had been forecast for July 2025.
However, the Solar Maximum will arrive earlier than expected, according to Nasa scientist Robert Leamon and Scott McIntosh, deputy director at the US National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).
They say the cycle's peak will occur a year earlier - in mid-to-late 2024.
This means the best time of the decade to tick the Northern Lights off your bucket list is right around the corner.
Sunspots - which kick out solar flares that cause Northern Lights - will become twice as likely during the Solar Maximum, which lasts between three and five years.
During that time, the displays will appear more vibrant with red, pink and purple hues which are typically more rare than the green waves.
Sunspots, the black regions on the Sun's surface, are particularly active areas that can 'burp' out solar wind in the Earth's direction.
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When these streams of highly charged particles collide with the Earth’s magnetic field, they make the upper atmosphere glow.
This heightened era of activity is why humans are graced with such an epic sight.
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