On Sunday night, a rare appearance of the Northern Lights treated stargazers across Ireland with a vivid green and red glow. The display was caused by a G4-class geomagnetic storm triggered by a large blast of charged particles from the solar wind due to cracks in the Earth’s magnetic shields and a coronal hole on the sun. The extraordinary phenomenon occurred over several states in the US and could be seen across several regions in Ireland, including parts of Cork, Kerry, Galway, Dublin, and Meath, as well as North and West Cork and as far south as Cloughduv. Though obstructed by cloud cover, it was one of the strongest viewings ever of the Northern Lights, according to Astronomy Ireland’s David Moore. The Met Éireann explained that such an occurrence happened due to collisions between gas and charged particles from the Sun’s atmosphere in our atmosphere, which results in different colours. Although there is a slight chance of seeing the Northern Lights again Monday night, it may not be as spectacular as the event on Sunday night. If you witness the Northern Lights, do email your photos and location to news@examiner.ie.
