The Simpsons fans all making the same joke after seeing Northern Lights last night
As a fan of The Simpsons, there's no doubt that all of us thought the exact same thing after witnessing an Aurora Borealis last night (10 May).
Brits across the country took to social media to share pictures of the jaw-dropping Northern Lights, as likes of Suffolk, Kent, Hampshire and Liverpool were just some of the cities lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Now, as soon the Aurora Borealis lit up our evenings, The Simpsons fans immediately would have cast their minds back to season seven episode '22 Short Films About Springfield'.
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My favourite season of The Simpsons, fyi.
Steamed Hams
Throughout the episode, we get a number of short sketches, one which features Seymour Skinner and Superintendent Gary Chalmers.
The plot is based around the classic cliche of 'having your boss round for lunch'.
If you've not seen it, just remember that the idea of referring to hamburgers as 'steamed hams' is what makes the episode so iconic.
Now, after Skinner welcomes his boss, he realises that his roast has burnt in the oven.
Across the road from his house is a Krusty Burger and the school principal attempts to pass it off as his own cooking.
But because he can't exit the home through the front door, he decides to escape through the window.
When Chalmers almost catches him as he's about to leave Skinner says he's just stretching his calves and that the smoke coming from the burnt roast is from the 'steamed hams' he is preparing.
Chalmers is obviously suspicious of Skinner's antics, but instead leaves the room and sits down at the dinner table.
Skinner then rushes over to Krusty Burger and emerges from the kitchen with a plate of 'steamed hams', which are just hamburgers.
While the superintendent questions the origin and taste of the meal, Skinner realises that he forgot to turn off the oven for the roast.
But it's too late as the whole kitchen is set ablaze.
As soon as Skinner notices, he rushes to the kitchen and the door flaps open, showing a concerning red glow.
Despite Charmers' concern, Skinner claims that the glow is from the Aurora Borealis.
Skinner almost succeeds in getting Chalmers to leave quickly without seeing the fire, and on his way out, Agnes - Skinner's 'mum' - calls him from upstairs that the house is on fire, but Skinner says 'it's just the Northern Lights'.
The Simpsons fans were all thinking the same thing
Taking to social media when the Northern Lights hit last night, one fan wrote: "Watching this when we can see the aurora borealis from our kitchen window after having burgers for dinner is iconic honestly."
"Aurora Borealis? At this time of day at this time of year at this part of the country localised entirely in the UK?" a second joked.
"The entire UK tonight. The northern lights were visible for us, which is incredibly rare, due to one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years, plus clear skies! It was truly incredible," a third penned.
"Aurora Borealis just passed over the UK right now. I whipped this video out so unbelievably fast when it was over!" another added.
Why are we able to see the Northern Lights in the UK?
The Northern Lights were visible from Britain because of the combination of clear skies and enhanced activity from the sun reaching Earth, according to the Met Office.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that the G5 geomagnetic storm - the strongest level of geomagnetic storm - hit Earth on Thursday (9 May) and could affect communications, GPS and power grids.
The storm took place because of a 'large' sunspot cluster, which happens to be 17 times the diameter of earth.
Different colours occur due to the different gases in the Earth's atmosphere, which are energised by the charged particles.
Nitrogen emits purple, blue and pink colours, while oxygen emits green.
When’s the best time to see the Northern Lights tonight?
The best time to spot the Northern Lights tonight (11 May) will be between 10.00pm and 2.00am in the UK.
Unfortunately the window is pretty short due to the shorter nights with the warmer weather.
Where is the best place to see the Northern Lights tonight?
ITV News meteorologist and weather presenter Chris Page said: "Activity is expected to slowly decline, however there is a good chance (cloud permitting) you’ll be able to see it again tonight."
Krista Hammond, the Met Office’s space weather manager, added: “Aurora visibility may persist through Saturday night, but as it stands this is likely to be less widespread than on Friday night with northern parts of the UK most likely to continue to have the best viewing potential.”
Sadly, it seems that those in the south of England who saw the aurora last night might not have a good enough view this evening.
Us northerners, however, are best placed if the weather doesn't let us down.
Topics: The Simpsons, UK News, Weather, TV and Film
Anish Vij