A ONCE in a generation geomagnetic storm brought the spectacle of the aurora borealis to the skies of West Somerset and Exmoor at the weekend.

And Free Press readers were out in their droves to capture images on their cameras and smartphones of the colourful Northern Lights, usually only seen at latitudes from Scandinavia to the Arctic.

Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor
Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor (Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor)

Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor
Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor (Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor)

Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor
Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor (Pictures of the Northern Lights over the Welsh coast were taken from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor)

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The sky over Williton. PHOTO: Emma Ireland.

Solar flares from the sun started to hit the Earth’s atmosphere late on Friday night (May 10) and continued with varying degrees of intensity through to Monday.

The charged particles made oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the air glow in different shades of purple and green, creating an awesome ‘natural screen saver’ effect for hours at a time.

Social media in villages from Stogursey to Dulverton through Williton, Watchet, Porlock, and Minehead were awash with images and superlative comments.

A number of pictures of the Northern Lights were also taken over the Welsh coast from Blue Anchor by reader Tim Taylor, who said: “This was a very rare phenomenon in the south of England. I can’t remember seeing anything like it before.” 

The last time a similar strength, G5, geomagnetic storm hit Earth was in 2003.