Northern Lights are seen in Romford over two nights

Daniel Newman, who lives in Romford, popped outside on Saturday evening and was greeted by the Aurora.

The Northern Lights lit up the sky overnight on Friday, illuminating huge areas of the UK in pink and green.

MOST READ: The best beer gardens in Havering according to readers

Although sightings in the southern parts of the UK were less likely on Saturday some people were in luck.

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

Daniel Newman sent in his pictures of the Northern Lights near his home in Romford (Image: Daniel Newman)

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place within a band known as the aurora oval, covering latitudes between 60 and 75 degrees.

When activity is strong, this expands to cover a greater area – which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.

They can be seen at the moment as according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the earth was hit by a G5 geomagnetic storm on Thursday.

A G5 rating is considered “extreme” and the strongest level of solar storm.

The Northern Lights reached London and most of the UK on Friday night (May 10 2024) but Daniel Newman also saw them on Saturday night outside his home in Romford (Image: Daniel Newman)

The cause of this storm was a “large, complex” sunspot cluster, 17 times the diameter of Earth.

The last storm with a G5 rating hit Earth more than 20 years ago in October 2003 and caused power outages in Sweden.

Every 11 years, the sun’s poles reverse, causing bursts of solar activity resulting in northern lights.

Scientists predict the next solar maximum will occur at the end of 2024.

Additional reporting by PA