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'Spectacular' Northern Lights dazzle in Isle of Man

Alex BlakeIsle of Man
News imageGrace Fielding The ruins of Peel Castle on an islet, with a green strip of light above it under a bright pink and red sky dappled with stars.Grace Fielding
Grace Fielding caught the greens and reds of the aurora above Peel Castle

The Isle of Man was treated to an "incredible" display of the Northern Lights on Wednesday night, with the pink, red, and green hues of the Aurora Borealis, clearly visible in many parts of the island.

The stunning display is the result of solar eruptions sending particles towards Earth, and the subsequent interaction of those particles with the Earth's atmosphere.

"As soon as the clouds cleared, it was just completely unreal," said photographer Chris Kirkham, who witnessed the lights for only the second time.

Meanwhile, Craig Dalton, who watched the "incredible" weather phenomenon from the Mountain Road overlooking Ramsey, described the colours as "vivid and really strong to the naked eye".

News imageCraig Dalton The plinth of the Guthries memorial on the Isle of Man, with the Northern Lights in the background: a bright pink sky with a light green hue behind. Stars can be seen twinkling in the pink sky.Craig Dalton
Craig Dalton captured the Northern Lights from the Guthries memorial on the Mountain Road

In Santon, Robert Currey said he "woke just after 03:00 to an incredible sight from the bedroom window".

News imageRobert Currey A silhouette of a leafless tree against a pink sky peppered with bright stars.Robert Currey
Robert Currey, who captured the pink sky from his bedroom window in Santon, said the lights were "the most spectacular" he had ever seen

He described "shafts of light streaming down from high above, against a sky that graduated from deep purple to brilliant pink, fading into green above the trees".

He added it "was the most spectacular Aurora Borealis I've ever seen".

News imageNick Shimmin The statue of Sir William Hillary overlooking Douglas Bay, with the sky light up in pink and green.Nick Shimmin
Nick Shimmin enjoyed the dramatic sky from Douglas Head

Further inland, in Lhergy Cripperty, Chris Kirkham captured the dramatic night sky, looking past the telecoms tower towards the centre of the island, calling it "completely unreal".

According to the UK Met Office Space Weather forecast, there is a good chance of seeing them again on Wednesday evening and night.

News imageChris Kirkham A telecoms tower stands in the foreground, backlit by bright red shafts in the night sky. Dappled clouds float in deep blue and green sky to the right,Chris Kirkham
Chris Kirkham said it was "amazing" to see the Northern Lights so clearly with the naked eye
News imageDave Corkish The horizon over the Irish Sea, from the west coast of the island, showing a strip of pale green and the pink sky above.Dave Corkish
The aurora was bright over Fenella Beach in Peel
News imageSarah Gabriel-Lawton Shards of light pierce a pink sky with the outline of the top of a tree below.Sarah Gabriel-Lawton
Sarah Gabriel-Lawton watched the light show from her garden in St Johns

Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.

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