At around 9.10pm, the Steel City’s skies lit up in green and red to the astonishment of amateur astrologists and residents out for an evening walk. It came after the Met Office’s ‘Northern Lights Tracker’ declared huge swathes of Northern England and Scotland would be in with a chance of spotting the aurora borealis, but would likely miss it due to heavy cloud.
However, pictures show how the skies over the earthlings of Sheffield really did a glimpse of the phenomenon. Far from the glow of light pollution – or another rave in the peaks – the northern horizon of the county was lit up in shades of green, red and orange.
The country is now eagerly awaiting the latest Met Office forecast to see if they might be in with a ‘last chance’ at seeing the Northern Lights if they missed it tonight.
The Met Office tweeted on February 27 how the spectacle was the result of a “coronal hole high speed stream”, leading to aurora sightings across the UK.
It comes on the same day Sheffield City Council rolled out its Clean Air Zone, proving its incontestable benefits.
If you have any pictures of the Northern Lights you want to share, email us at [email protected].
1. Northern Lights over Sheffield
Sheffield's skies were lit up by the aurora borealis at around 9.10pm last night (February 27). This photo from Millhouses captures the unreal green glow seen by some. Photo: Alastair Ulke
2. Minutes apart in Treeton
To prove last night's phenomenon was not just light pollution, these photos in Treeton were taken minutes apart. The resident who saw it said how they were out for a walk when the sky suddenly began to glow. Photo: Alastair Ulke
3. Red, green and oranges
This view from Treeton saw the sky light up in red and pink, but other parts of South Yorkshire saw the phenomenon in green. Photo: Alastair Ulke