Dazzling pictures show Northern Lights illuminating Norfolk’s night sky this week
Norfolk was treated to an unexpected visit from the Northern Lights in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The otherwordly green glow in the sky was caused as a result of a solar storm that’s currently engulfing Earth following a burst of activity from the sun.
Photographer Gary Pearson managed to capture these amazing images of the aurora lights from Brancaster Staithe in North Norfolk.
‘It is pretty unusual for the Northern Lights to be seen or photographed so far down in England,’ he said.
‘On this occasion the conditions were just right to be able to see the pillars and greens of the aurora with the naked eye, and photograph it using a long exposure to record all the vibrant colours of the aurora that were not visible to the naked eye.’
Astronomers believe the Earth is entering a period of increased solar activity which could peak in 2025.
Solar storms on Earth are caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) – a large expulsion of plasma and magnetic fields from the sun – that interact with Earth’s magnetic field.
Although they’re known to coincide with solar activity, exactly how auroras form has mystified scientists for years.
But last year, US researchers finally solved the puzzle. They determined how the activity of the sun can lead to the natural light shows.
They think that solar disturbances can tug at the Earth’s magnetic field, causing ripples called ‘Alfvén waves’. These waves shoot fast-moving electrons into the atmosphere — and its these electrons that produce the spectacular, eerie illuminations.
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