Northern lights reach England’s south coast as skies light up over Devon, Hampshire and Kent

The northern lights illuminated skies across the UK on Friday and Saturday evening, delighting sky-gazers as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent.

The display, also known as the aurora borealis, is usually visible near the Arctic Circle and in northern Scotland. This weekend it was photographed as far south as Sheerness in Kent, despite heavy light pollution in the area.

Photograph: Mike Pennington, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

The Met Office said sightings could continue during clear skies until Tuesday, with further sightings possible across Scotland and at similar geomagnetic longitudes. Its space weather forecast for 10 to 13 October pointed to incoming coronal mass ejections and a high-speed solar wind stream bringing a daily chance of enhancing the auroral oval where skies are clear.

Aurora may be visible at times over the next few nights over Scotland …Met Office space weather forecast, quoted by Secret Edinburgh, October 2026

Aurora displays happen when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s upper atmosphere around the magnetic poles, releasing energy as light. According to the Met Office, oxygen produces green and, at higher altitudes, rare red auroras, while nitrogen creates blue and purple hues.

The weekend display arrived in what experts have described as a peak year for aurora-spotting. Last year experts said 2026 would be a peak year, with the Sun in a heightened state of activity as part of its 11-year natural cycle.

Photograph: Mike Pennington, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Separate reporting of the display said thousands of people shared photographs taken from gardens and public roads, and advised anyone hoping to see the lights to look northwards, away from bright streetlights, and through a phone camera, when the lights usually appear between 10pm and 2am.