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Rising Solar Activity Prompts More UK Northern Lights

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 10:21 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Hammond Predicts Aurora Surge

Krista Hammond of the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre said solar activity is rising toward a maximum.
The last solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the start of the current upward trend.
Hammond warned that more frequent space-weather events will increase UK aurora sightings in coming years.

Summary

UK sees Northern Lights

The United Kingdom experienced a Northern Lights display visible from Norfolk to Kent over the weekend.
Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst warned the aurora could return Monday night, possibly reaching central England.
Photographer Julie Smart captured pink, purple and green aurora images at Pott Row and Hunstanton.
Greg Dewhurst said long-exposure photos can show the aurora farther south than naked-eye forecasts.

History

Historical Context

On 1 September 1859 British astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson recorded the first white-light solar flare, which launched a fast coronal mass ejection that reached Earth in 17.6 hours and triggered the strongest geomagnetic storm on record. The storm knocked out telegraph networks across Europe and North America and produced auroras visible worldwide. A 2013 study estimated a comparable event today could cost up to $2.6 trillion.

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Hammond Predicts Aurora Surge

Krista Hammond of the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre said solar activity is rising toward a maximum.
The last solar minimum occurred in December 2019, marking the start of the current upward trend.
Hammond warned that more frequent space-weather events will increase UK aurora sightings in coming years.

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