‘Crazy’ northern lights create magical skies over Liverpool and beyond

The Northern Lights lit up the night sky with rare sightings across Merseyside.

The Northern Lights, also known as Aurora Borealis, have been spotted in areas including Huyton, Crosby, Belle Vale and Norris Green. The visibility of the northern lights was increased on Friday due to an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of a geomagnetic storm, hit Earth on Thursday and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.

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The cause of this storm is a “large and complex” sunspot cluster that is 17 times the diameter of Earth, the last G5-rated storm to hit Earth in October 2003, causing power outages in Sweden.

ECHO photographer Colin Lane captured some incredible images of the northern lights in Crosby at around 11.30pm. After seeing the Aurora, Colin said: “They are mega guys, what a night…crazy colours.”

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said on Friday there was a good chance the aurora borealis would be seen.

He said: “Although the shorter nights will limit the window of visibility, there is a good chance of seeing the aurora, particularly on Friday evening and especially in Scotland, Ireland and parts of northern England and Wales.

“There might even be visibility further south if you have the right equipment.

“Those conditions could continue into Saturday night, but we still need to work out some details on exactly where that will be.”

Mr Dixon said the combination of clear skies and increased activity from the sun reaching Earth would improve the chances of seeing the display.

Auroral displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

In the Northern Hemisphere, most of this activity takes place in a band known as the auroral oval, which covers latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.

When the activity is strong, it spreads out to cover a larger area – which explains why displays can occasionally be seen as far south as the UK.

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