The Independent requests donations to fund on-the-ground reporting across issues including reproductive rights, climate change and Big Tech while keeping reporting free of paywalls. Donations support investigations into financials, production of documentaries like 'The A Word', and sending journalists to report from both sides. A powerful solar storm caused auroral displays across parts of the UK, Ireland and North America and may permit further sightings on Tuesday. The aurora is usually strongest in the auroral oval around Iceland and the polar caps, but heightened geomagnetic activity can extend visibility farther south if skies are dark and clear.
A powerful solar storm meant the Northern Lights were visible across parts of the UK and Ireland overnight, with them possibly being visible again on Tuesday. The solar phenomenon is typically most visible in the auroral oval - a ring of light around Iceland and the polar caps - although it can sometimes be witnessed in the North. Only under rare and more severe space weather conditions can the lights be seen throughout the whole of the UK.
Stargazers on Monday night reported sightings of the colourful spectacle across north-east Scotland, northern England and the Midlands - and stretching as far south as West Cork in Ireland. The Met Office said the resulting geomagnetic activity could make the aurora visible further south than usual, provided skies are dark and clear. Places across North America, such as Alaska and Ontario, also witnessed the solar spectacle, with many residents sharing photos on social media of brightly coloured skies.
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