Northern Lights spark excitement with rare sightings across Ireland
Ireland's enjoyed a rare sighting of the Northern Lights overnight.
Social Media glowed pink and purple, as star-gazers posted stunning displays from all over the country.
It followed the biggest solar storm in 20 years.
Met Éireann posted images of the lights in Dublin and at Shannon Airport in Co Clare.
Aurora at Shannon Airport this evening pic.twitter.com/ij811dHIeE
— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) May 10, 2024
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.
The visibility of the Northern Lights was increased on Friday because of an “extreme” geomagnetic storm, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The NOAA said the G5 geomagnetic storm, which is considered extreme and is the strongest level of geomagnetic storm, hit earth on Thursday and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.
Forecasters say there could be a chance to see the lights again on Saturday night.
