Stunning Northern Lights show delights photographers

An unusually intense display of the Northern Lights was captured by photographers around the country last night - with some of the brightest pinks, greens, purples and reds seen across Merseyside.

Officially known as the Aurora Borealis, the phenomenon is caused by solar eruptions interacting with particles in the Earth's atmosphere.

The Met Office said last night's aurora was the result of a strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) - when the Sun emits massive clouds of particles.

The lights were visible across much of the UK, with spectacular sightings particularly along the Merseyside coast.

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The phenomenon comes during a period of high solar activity, called solar maximum, during the sun's 21-year cycle.

The sun has more sunspots which emit CMEs and solar flares - waves of electromagnetic radiation - and so we see more of the lights on Earth.

There was another set of sightings in November last year caused by a large solar flare erupted from the surface of the Sun.

The aurora are not always visible with the naked eye and can only be viewed with specialist camera equipment, but Monday's stunning display was strong enough to be seen by simply looking up to the skies.

Silvia Dalla, professor of solar physics at the University of Lancashire, said: "Finding a good spot to view the Northern Lights can be challenging, and conditions can change quickly."

She described "Aurora-hunting" as a "late-night activity", with the optimum time to view the spectacle usually from 23:00 to 00:00 onwards.

"To maximise your chances of viewing the aurora, the sky needs to be as clear as possible," she said.

"Look northwards and try to find a place with dark skies, ideally away from a city where light pollution can interfere with the view."

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