The Northern Lights come to Spain and leave behind a green and red spectacle after strong solar flares.

Spain has witnessed spectacular northern lights visible in the skies over large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, including Galicia, Catalonia, Valencia, Madrid and even Andalusia. This is associated with one of the largest sunspots recorded in recent decades. laAR366415 times larger than Earth.

The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has confirmed that auroras will be observed at very low latitudes in the northern hemisphere, including Spain, and this is confirmed by many photographs. The auroras are expected to continue throughout the weekend..

Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X are filled with photos and videos of people who managed to capture auroras in different parts of Spain, as well as in Europe and North America. Both with professional equipment and with smartphones.

One of most impressive videos the northern lights were captured Alvaro Ibanez Perez from Trevinca Skies, in Galicia, who recorded time interval 23 minutes. In the video you can see how the night progresses while the meteorological phenomenon persists in the sky.

Dozens of other people posted photos from around the peninsula showing the effect of the northern lights on the Spanish sky.

The Northern Lights have also been seen from other locations in Europe and North America. Many of the videos that were posted on social media were posted from the United States and Canada.

Why do auroras occur?

The northern lights – as they are called in the northern hemisphere – and the aurora – as they are called in the southern hemisphere – arise from the interaction of electrically charged particles emitted by the Sun – the solar wind – with the magnetic field of the Sun. Earth, especially the magnetosphere.

The Earth’s magnetic field guides particles, mainly electrons and protons, that collide with atoms and molecules of gases in the upper atmosphere. These collisions cause the electrons in the nitrogen and oxygen atoms to temporarily jump to a higher or excited energy state.

Light is created through ionization and excitation, which emit light of varying colors and complexity. They are usually seen in areas of the planet close to the poles, but in some cases, as is happening today, they can be seen briefly in other regions.