Northern Lights create spectacular displays in the Netherlands

The Northern Lights were visible over large parts of the Netherlands on Sunday evening.

Dozens of people shared their photographs of the aerial phenomenon on social media, from as far apart as Kerkrade in the south to Joure and the Wadden Sea island of Texel.

The lights can rarely be seen so far south, said NOS weather forecaster Willemijn Hoebert. “You have to look to the northern horizon and you have to be lucky there is no cloud.”

Ongekend fraai #noorderlicht vanavond!, en dat gewoon in eigen land, boven de befaamde molens van #Kinderdijk. Wat een briljante show mochten wij meemaken, als eerste fotograaf ter plaatse, tijdens de meest hevige uitbarsting. Tja, veel beter gaat het niet worden in eigen land😅 pic.twitter.com/h2VK7QdjGL

— RickB (@Anatidaephbia) November 5, 2023

Bright red to the naked eye, last night’s Aurora was a sight to behold in the south of the Netherlands.#aurora #Noorderlicht pic.twitter.com/BnCljIjbVn

— Gijs de Reijke (@GijsDeReijke) November 6, 2023

#noorderlicht timelapse boven de Beemster polder pic.twitter.com/Zyd7bXD4M8

— Hessel Stuut (@hesselstuut) November 5, 2023

The Northern Lights, or the aurora borealis, are created when energised particles from the sun slam into the Earth’s upper atmosphere at extremely high speeds. The Earth’s magnetic field redirects them to the North and South Pole, creating waves of coloured light.

According to aurora prediction websites, there is only a moderate chance of further displays on Monday night.