BERLIN: Germans were able to gain a rare glimpse of the northern lights, due to an unusually large solar storm.

The phenomenon, lighting the night sky up in magenta, green and shimmering turquoise, seen on Friday night may be visible in some regions on Saturday night too.

The German Weather Service (DWD) posted an image on X of the Alps in southern Germany lit up in pink, as well as bright rays of light over the Frankfurt skyline. Other images were shared across social media.

US meteorologists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned of a level five solar storm on Friday, the top level on a scale of five – an intensity that was last experienced in October 2003.

The origin of the solar storms – a large sunspot cluster – is around 16 times the diameter of the Earth, according to NOAA.

Many in other countries also gained a view of the displays, including in Britain and Ireland.

They occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles.