Lucky stargazers were stunned to see the Northern Lights across the Netherlands on Sunday night, with some keen photographers able to grab some beautiful photos of the phenomena. The lights, which are occasionally visible in the Netherlands, were spotted as far south as Kerkrade, all the way up to Texel in the North.
While the Northern Lights weren’t widely expected on Sunday evening, as darkness fell, social media became atwitter with discussions and photos of the pinky-purple lights visible in the Dutch sky. “The lights can rarely be seen so far south,” NOS weather forecaster Willemijn Hoebert stated, as dozens of photos of the Northern Lights spotted in the south of the Netherlands appeared online.
Some professional and hobby photographers were also able to capture brilliant photographs of the natural phenomenon taking over the sky at some of the most famous locations in the Netherlands. Just check out this simply stunning photo of the Northern Lights snapped near Kinderdijk!
Or this stunning time-lapse video!
Despite its position in the north of continental Europe, the Netherlands is not usually able to see the Northern Lights. Instead, they are only visible on certain days of the year when the sky is dark and clear as the lights, known as the Aurora Borealis, move over the Netherlands.
Though scientists aren't sure exactly how the Northern Lights work, it is understood that they are likely to be the result of electrons and protons colliding with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere. These collisions cause sparks of light, which we see below as the Northern Lights.
According to experts, the Sun is expected to reach solar maximum in 2024, which means that instances where the Northern Lights are visible in the Netherlands could be more common in the coming months. The Northern Lights have already been spotted further south a few times in recent months, with countries as far down as Switzerland able to see the phenomenon!