THE AURORA IN THE UK? WHATEVER NEXT!!

I'll never forget the night of the 10th of May, 2024 and neither will my fellow photographers. I was in Godrevy, West Cornwall near St. Ives watching pillars of pink and green slice through the night sky.

THE AURORA TAKEN AT GODREVY BEACH, CORNWALL - 10th MAY, 2024.

I was grieving that night because Joan, my older sister, had just passed away from a short illness. In 2018 she survived pneumonia which led to sepsis leaving her an amputee. She adapted to that with bravery, grace and humour but her immune system was vulnerable. Nevertheless, we never saw it coming.

My original planned photography on that weekend away was hopefully a good sunset over the sea pinks which didn't really happen, I got the aurora borealis instead. It felt like the perfect tribute to my sister.

That night attracted huge media interest as it was seen all over the UK. I still get emotional thinking about it, the look of amazement of people holding their smart phones up to the sky. I was guessing it wasn't unrealistic for them to be seen in dark sky places in the north of England but Cornwall? A particularly intense geometric storm firing off solar flares caused the lights to be seen much further south then usual.

Social media the next day was entertaining! It was wonderful to see all the variations of photos and locations on social media. Not just carefully crafted photos over castles and monuments but people stumbling around their back gardens in their pyjamas holding up their phones. A few photographers that were oblivious to it all were understandably gutted when they woke up the next morning.

Capturing the aurora has always been at the top of my wish list, especially as my mother came from Shetland, the most northerly point in Britain. Up there they are known as the "Mirrie Dancers." I haven't been back to Shetland since before I took up photography but I did get to Iceland and saw them just the once on my first night. Up in the Arctic Circle they are mainly a very intense green with more movement due to more oxygen in the solar atmosphere. Further south increased nitrogen means they take on more pink and purple hues and are "blockier" in appearance.

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS - SNAEFELLSNES PENINSULA - ICELAND - MARCH 24

A BRIEF APPEARANCE AT KNOWLTON CHURCH IN DORSET - MAY 2025

I did see them a couple more times in the UK. The heightened solar activity still goes on and my app still pings, although being realistic it doesn't often grace its presence this far south. But I am hoping for more additions to my gallery and maybe a return visit to Iceland.