Photos: Northern Lights dazzle Normandy skies
Coloured hues were also snapped in some areas of Brittany, with activity peaking before midnight
The Northern Lights were hardly visible to the naked eye but could be seen through long exposure cameras. Image for illustrative purposes only
Maxime Mandin/Shutterstock
The aurora borealis illuminated skies in the north of France, over Normandy and Brittany, late last night (April 16), with spectators sharing photos on social media.
At roughly 20:00 yesterday evening, Météo Basse-Normandie announced there was a “moderate chance” of seeing the Northern Lights, with “the peak expected at around 23:00 provided the sky is clear.”
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The regional weather site recommended using an application called previplus.fr to monitor live aurora borealis notifications in each department of France.
Several hopefuls ventured out despite warnings that the Lights would be difficult to see with the naked eye.
Photographers were able to capture the colours using a long exposure camera or after adjusting the image settings with editing software.
We take a look at some of the results.
Coloured skies in Normandy
Dancing lights over Brittany
Lights were even seen off the west coast on l'Île-d'Yeu (Vendée) in the Pays de la Loire region.
They were also seen last year in Normandy and other parts of France, in May and again in October, with several solar storms producing aurora borealis.
There are expected to be more opportunities to view them again this year as solar flares that cause these coloured lights will peak in 2025 as the sun ends its current 11 year solar cycle which it goes through as it transitions between low and high magnetic activity.
Read also: Photos: magical Northern Lights images from across France September 12
