Last month, we reported that it had been a good year for the sunflowers, but it also seems to have been a good year for seeing the Northern Lights in the South East! The famous Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, were visible across many parts of the country, including Camber, in May and September. They made another surprise appearance on 10th October, and social media platforms once again filled up with striking photographs of the dancing lights!
Usually only visible from Scandinavia, Alaska, Canada and Russia, the lights can occasionally be seen in the UK. In Scotland, the lights become visible every few months but the occurrence of a light show further south – indeed as far south as Camber – is a much rarer thing, and only occurs when there is a period of high geomagnetic activity, creating Geomagnetic Storms which are usually very short-lived and follow an 11-year cycle.
More information is available on the British Geological Survey website: http://www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/education/viewing_aurora [accessed 13th October 2024]
This time around, the lights were bigger and brighter than earlier in the year. A good number of Camber folk were out and about late that night, taking as many pictures as they could, just in case we don’t get another glimpse of this amazing phenomenon for years to come. We never know when this event will happen again.
These pictures, taken in Camber, show the vibrant pinks and greens in the sky. Many thanks to Abi Good, Dave Walker, and Simon Evans.
