Hues of pink, green and purple were visible to the naked eye across many parts of the country last night, and social media users flocked to share photos of the Aurora Borealis.
However, the phenomenon won’t be as visible tonight.
“The chances of seeing the Northern Lights tonight in Ireland will be greatly reduced, due to the lower level of intensity of the geomagnetic activity and the increased cloud cover, compared to last night,” said a spokesperson for Met Éireann.
“The strength of the activity measured up to 8 on the KP Index, the global aurora activity indicator, for Thursday night, with a clear sky, whereas tonight’s activity is set to reach up to 5 on the scale, and with more cloud covering impacting potential visibility.”
Skygazers across the UK and Ireland were treated to a stunning show of the Northern Lights – with experts saying there is still more to come in the following months.
The sun has now entered its period of greatest activity, which means colourful displays of the aurora borealis could be seen until the middle of next year.
Our home star typically follows an 11-year-cycle, with periods of intense activity followed by a quiet phase.
During its active bursts, also known as solar maximum, the sun releases charged particles that travel through space at speeds of around one million miles per hour.
Some of the particles are captured by the Earth’s magnetic field and collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms and molecules in the atmosphere.
These atoms and molecules then shed the energy they gained from the collision, emitting light at various wavelengths to create colourful displays in the night sky.
According to Nasa, oxygen emits either a greenish-yellow light – which is the most familiar colour of the aurora – or a red light, while nitrogen generally gives off a blue light.
The oxygen and nitrogen molecules also emit ultraviolet light, which can only be detected by special cameras on satellites.
Photos of the dazzling natural phenomenon were captured across England, Scotland and Ireland on Thursday night and could be seen as far south as Kent and East Anglia.
The current peak is expected to until mid-2025, according to the Royal Astronomical Society.
After that, aurora displays will only be visible in high latitude countries such as Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Scandinavia, Finland and Russia.
The southern lights, or aurora australis, can be observed in Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia.
