Aurora? Something else? What is this in the sky?

[WeirdlyKind]

Just spotted this in the sky and I'm not sure what I'm looking at!

I'm currently on the North East Coast, near Hartlepool. As far as I can tell, there's no aurora activity, so what is the wavy looking cloud thing?

Thank you!

No idea but wow!!

Forgot to say it changed quite a bit while I was watching - will add more pics!

They look a bit like noctilucent clouds.

There are aurora alerts out for this weekend due to solar flares, but I’m not convinced this is them.

It looks like a long wisp of low cloud/mist, illuminated by the lights from below to me. But maybe it looks different in real life.

Are you facing North?

@FavouriteMug

No idea but wow!!

Gorgeous, isn't it? My partner is convinced it's the aurora but I'm not so sure!

The light one was taken with my phone's "night sight" setting.

@SleepingDoglets

They look a bit like noctilucent clouds.

There are aurora alerts out for this weekend due to solar flares, but I’m not convinced this is them.

yy noctilucent clouds, staggeringly lovely, great spot. Send in to the Cloud Appreciation Society on Facebook.

@lookingforabed

Are you facing North?

Facing east, towards the north sea.

It looks like the Aurora to me. I live in Vancouver and we see them very seldom, but have seen them a few times a bit further north.

Were the lines kind of moving and dancing? Were they in the northern sky.

Smoke from the Wilton industrial site reflecting the lights?

No idea but you could post to R/Clouds on reddit too. They'll be able to tell you.
Awesome pics though

Thank you! Fairly sure that noctilucent clouds is the answer (from googling and looking at other pics!)

They're gorgeous!

No, not the Aurora.

Looks like frozen mist/fog

Unfortunately I don't think it can be the aurora in that case.

From our (the UK in general's) latitude it would almost always be seen directly to the North as the aurora forms a kind of halo around the north pole. The halo gets bigger or smaller depending on solar activity but it would be truly exceptional for it to get big enough to be seen in the east from the UK as it is still centered on the magnetic north pole.

This is recent local aurora, it definitely doesnt look like that

Having looked at pictures of Aurora, the lines tend to track upward. Otherwise not sure. So not as positive as I was.

Thank you! He's still convinced it's the aurora, bloody stubborn man he is 😂😁

Beautiful!