Stunning solar flare lights up night sky
Spectacular aurora displays seen across parts of Britain have been caused by a huge solar flare with the energy of a billion hydrogen bombs.
The largest solar flare for more than 12 years erupted from the sun on Wednesday and has been captured in detail by UK researchers.
The massive burst of radiation, one of three soca l led X- cla ss f lares observed over a 48- hour per iod, cont inues to produce aurora displays across northern latitudes.
In the UK, the Northern Lights have been visible over a wide area, although poor weather across many parts of the country has led to disappointment for many enthusiasts.
A team from a consortium of UK universities, including Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Sheffield, observed the huge coronal mass ejections using the Swedish Solar Telescope on the island of La Palma in the Canaries.
The scientists said the data collected will help predict when and where X-class flares might occur in the future.
Dr Chris Nelson, of the University of Sheffield, said: “It’s very unusual to observe the opening minutes of a flare’s life.
“We can only observe about 1/250th of the solar surface at one time using the Swedish Solar Telescope.
“So to be in the right place at the right time requires a lot of luck. To observe the rise phases of three X-classes over two days is unheard of.”