Northern lights display across the UK following geomagnetic storms

The northern lights illuminated skies across the United Kingdom on Friday and Saturday evening, according to the Guardian. The natural phenomenon was seen as far south as Devon, Hampshire, and Kent. [1]

The display, also called the aurora borealis, is driven by solar activity and geomagnetic storms interacting with the upper atmosphere, the Guardian reported. These occurrences are usually visible mostly near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland. [1]

An aurora occurs when charged particles from the Sun collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in Earth's upper atmosphere. These collisions excite the atoms, causing them to emit coloured light such as green, red, and purple in dynamic patterns across the sky. [2]

The Met Office said that sightings of the northern lights could continue during clear skies until Tuesday, according to the Guardian. [1]