South Londoners “amazed” by spectacular Northern Lights display

South Londoners were “amazed” on Friday night after the Northern Lights made rare appearances all across the capital.

Kyle Huseyin, 20, from Bromley, captured the moment the lights – also known as aurora borealis – lit up the sky.

Mr Huseyin said: “I was watching the news on TV and they highlighted that the visibility of the Northern Lights was increased due to the extreme geomagnetic storm.

“I thought I would pop out and see if I could catch a glimpse.”

At around 11.40pm, Mr Huseyin went to New Street Hill, Bromley, for a better viewing point of the phenomenon.

He said: “I was amazed to see the colour changes in the sky. I managed to get a few pictures to share with my family and friends.”

The rare display was visible after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years hit Earth.

Geomagnetic storms increase people’s chances of seeing the lights. The extreme geomagnetic storm which happened on Friday was classed as the highest strength, G5, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The Northern Lights appear as bright, swirling lights of green, pink and scarlet colours in the night sky.

The spectacle is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the earth’s atmosphere, which are energised and appear as different colours.

Sightings of the Northern Lights are usually limited to northern parts of the UK, so Friday’s event was rare.

The sighting was also made possible by clear skies, like those on Friday evening, which meant the aurora borealis was visible from almost everywhere in the UK.

Picture: The Northern Lights, from New Street Hill, Bromley (Picture: Kyle Huseyin)