Frederiek/NOS EyewitnessThe Northern Lights in IJmuiden
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 08:38
The Northern Lights might be seen in many places in the Netherlands last night and last night. The natural phenomenon might be observed with the naked eye. This will also be the case once more next evening and night. This is due to the strongest solar storm in more than twenty years, which will probably last the entire weekend.
A solar storm is an eruption of electrically charged particles from the sun. “GPS, power grids, spacecraft, satellite navigation and other technologies may be affected,” the U.S. Agency for Meteorology and Oceanography (NOAA) said.
Beautiful pictures
In addition to possible disruptions, such solar storms cause the impressive northern lights, which can sometimes be seen much further south than is normally the case. This is also the case now: the Northern Lights were spotted as far away as South Limburg.
Below is a selection of photos that we received last night, last night or early this morning via NOS Eyewitness. In some photos, the Northern Lights were almost impossible to see with the naked eye, because cameras register the colors better:
-
Arnoud van de Weerd/NOS Eyewitness
Northern lights above IJmuiden
-
Bregje Kool/NOS Eyewitness
Northern Lights in Friesland in Langweer
-
Ilona Schong/NOS Eyewitnesses
Northern Lights on Tholen in Zeeland
-
Joost Coffeng/NOS Eyewitness
Northern Lights in Woerden
-
NOS
Northern Lights in South Limburg
During a solar storm, electrically charged particles pass through the atmosphere at high speed and collide with each other. This releases energy, resulting in the play of colors in the sky. The particles are mainly drawn to the north and south poles, because that is where the Earth’s magnetic field is strongest.
NOAA says Earth is experiencing its first extreme geomagnetic storm since 2003. The storm was spotted last night. According to the American agency, it is a level 5, which is described as “extreme”.
