Northern Lights? What Northern Lights? Brits moan they couldn't see dazzling aurora despite 'once in a lifetime opportunity' (although their phones managed to catch spectacle in vivid colours!)
- Experts say why you can see the phenomenon a lot better through your phone
- Did you get photos of the aurora? Email [email protected]
If you struggled to glimpse the Northern Lights at the weekend, you're not alone.
Social media users have been sharing their frustration at not being able to see the spectacle, which resulted from an intense solar storm last week.
Meanwhile, others have noted that they were only able to notice its array of colours after taking a photo of the skies with their smartphone.
One person wrote on X: 'Is there something wrong with my eyeballs that I didn’t see the Northern Lights but my phone camera captured an outstanding scene?!'
Another posted: 'I couldn't see the Northern Lights unless I used my phone's night mode with the camera.
Britons moan they couldn't see the dazzling aurora, pictured in New Brighton, Merseyside,on Friday night
Many sky-gazers were only able to notice the aurora after taking a photo of the skies with their smartphone
'Something to do with the amount of colors our eyes are able to pick up in certain levels of light.'
According to experts, long exposure on a smartphone camera – where it's exposed to light for a longer duration than usual – can better capture the spectacle.
US photographer Dave Morrow said: 'If the aurora is moving very quickly through the sky, and you take a photo at a 30-second exposure, instead of seeing the instantaneous view that your eyes see, your camera will actually pick up the entire movement of the aurora through the sky over that 30-second time frame.'
The Met Office also says people with a good-quality camera can capture vivid shots of the aurora even when it's not visible with the naked eye.
Another posted: 'I couldn't see the northern lights unless I used my phones night mode with the camera'
'The naked eye couldn't pick up colours like the camera did': Photographers generally have had more success seeing the display through their device
The most powerful solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth, triggering spectacular celestial light shows from Tasmania to Britain. Pictured, people gather at Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath
'Cameras help as the long exposure allows loads of light in and enhances the colours more than the human eye can see,' a Met Office spokesperson told MailOnline.
'That is why you see pictures as far south as Cornwall sometimes though you’re unlikely to ever be able to see it with the naked eye that far south.'
However, due to the intensity of the solar storm, some people did see the aurora with the naked eye.
Lemuel Lyes, a New Zealander living in Cornwall, posted on X: ' Never seen an aurora display so visible to the naked eye before.
'Such a wonder.'
The Northern Lights in Denbighshire, Wales, on Saturday night
Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) illuminate the sky of San Francisco North Bay as seen from China Camp Beach in San Rafael, California
David Kelham Smith, a professor of chemistry at the University of York, caused controversy by suggesting seeing the aurora through a phone is not an 'authentic experience'.
He posted to X: 'If you can only see the aurora through your phone screen with a long exposure setting, have you really seen the aurora?
'What actually *is* an authentic experience?'
A furious user replied: 'Yes, you've seen the aurora.
'Greater sensitivity of the phone's sensor and long exposure enhances it beyond the eye's capability, and also, gorgeous phone photos created a really magical shared experience on Friday night, so away with your technophobe clickbait b*******.'
Auroras are usually only viewed in countries near the poles, such as Norway and Iceland in the north.
The weekend's aurora (which did result in many amazing photos) was caused by a solar storm that was classified as G5 – the most 'extreme' rating with aurora as low as Florida and North Africa.
Seeing this weekend's aurora was called a 'once in a lifetime opportunity' by ITV meteorologist Chris Page.
But according to Royal Observatory Greenwich, the last G5 solar storm occurred in October 2003, but other experts are hopeful another aurora event as prolific will come again soon.
David Kelham Smith, a professor of chemistry at the University of York, caused controversy by suggesting seeing the aurora through a phone is not 'authentic experience'
The sun is currently in a period of 'solar maximum' – meaning expulsions from the sun's surface are most common.
In fact, following another solar storm in the next few days, more aurora could be visible late this week or early next week.
'Solar storms are notoriously difficult to predict and the aurorae that accompany them are similarly complicated,' said Royal Observatory Greenwich astronomer Grey Brown.
'Predicting the next solar storm to any accuracy is all but impossible.
'However, there are signs of another storm approaching within the next few days, which might boost the aurorae again.'