Northern Lights dazzle Ireland tonight as solar storm ignites skies

"Ireland was treated to a rare and spectacular display in the night sky tonight as a powerful solar storm struck Earth, producing vivid sightings of the Northern Lights across the country, including stunning shows over Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow. The event followed an extreme space‑weather alert issued earlier in the week after a large solar flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from the sun."

"The charged particles from the CME reached Earth this evening, colliding with the planet's magnetic field and triggering widespread auroral activity. The storm reached G3 "strong" level on the geomagnetic scale, allowing the auroral oval to expand far beyond its usual Arctic boundary. As a result, the Northern Lights became visible much further south than normal, with colours and movement reported across multiple regions."

"The best views occur between late evening and shortly after midnight. Those who travelled to dark, open areas with a clear northern horizon were rewarded with some of the most striking auroral displays. For many, it was a rare opportunity to witness the aurora borealis with the naked eye, a phenomenon typically confined to Scandinavia, Canada or Iceland. With the storm arriving during hours of darkness and conditions remaining favourable in the west and northwest,"

A large solar flare produced a coronal mass ejection whose charged particles reached Earth and collided with the planet's magnetic field, triggering widespread auroral activity. The geomagnetic storm reached G3 "strong" level, allowing the auroral oval to expand far beyond its usual Arctic boundary. As a result, the Northern Lights became visible across much of Ireland, including Galway, Mayo, Leitrim, Donegal, Dublin and Wicklow. The most vivid displays occurred between late evening and shortly after midnight, especially in dark, open areas with a clear northern horizon. Many people witnessed the aurora borealis with the naked eye, a sight usually confined to high-latitude countries.

Read at Irish Independent