The Northern Lights could be seen from the north of the Netherlands last night. This special weather phenomenon has been recorded by many observers. Many photos have already been shared on Twitter.

Thursday morning found there is a big explosion on the sun. Billions of tons of electrical gas were propelled into space by our parent star toward Earth. This spectacular X1 flare was the second most powerful flare in the current solar cycle. The eruption occurred toward Earth, so many amateur astronomers have been anxiously awaiting the past few days. Could Northern Lights be seen in the Benelux?

Last night came the redeeming answer. Around midnight the aurora appeared on the horizon in the Northern Netherlands. At that moment, the electrically charged particles collided with molecules in the atmosphere. When this happens, energy is released. We see that as Northern Lights, or aurora borealis. Aurora usually can be seen close to the poles, but during a major storm the phenomenon can also be visible further south, such as in the Netherlands. Incidentally, it remains a rare phenomenon. The last times were in 2003 and 2015.

Why are northern lights better seen near the poles?

This has to do with the Earth’s magnetic field. When the charged particles enter the magnetic field of our planet, these particles are automatically drawn towards the poles. That is why the Northern Lights can be seen well in countries such as Greenland, Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland. In the Netherlands, the aurora looks less spectacular. Usually the Northern Lights manifest themselves here as an orange or green glow close to the horizon.

Did you miss the Northern Lights last night? And do you want to know when aurora can be seen? We recommend to aurora borealis urania to follow on Twitter. When a major eruption occurs on the sun, they are often the first to report it.

Below we have placed a selection of the most beautiful photos.