Britain to see Northern Lights as ‘severe’ solar storm may hit Earth

A powerful solar storm could provide a breathtaking view of the Northern Lights for all of Britain.

Concerns have been raised by scientists that the “severe” geomagnetic storm, the first to hit Earth in nearly 20 years, may interfere with GPS satellites, mobile networks, and power systems, according to Daily Mail.

An “aurora”, or stunning light display, will cover a large area of the nation due to this uncommon phenomenon.

According to the Met Office, stargazers as far south as Cornwall might catch a peek.

Following a string of solar flares on Wednesday, several solar radiation outbursts have now united into a single wave that is expected to strike Earth tonight.

The brilliant colours of the aurora are caused by electrically charged particles from the sun colliding with the Earth’s magnetic field. 

Usually, the Sun only ejects enough plasma to trigger lights around the poles where the magnetic fields are at their strongest.

But during events called “coronal mass ejections” the Sun releases huge waves of plasma from its corona – the Sun’s outermost layer.

Notably, on Thursday, NOAA issued a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch for the first time since January 2005.