Why the Northern Lights are so bright this week

Amazing light shows have been turning the sky shades of green and pink in parts of the UK this week.

They're called the Northern Lights (also known as the Aurora Borealis) and they've been happening because of a powerful solar eruption and geomagnetic storm earlier this week.

This is when waves of charged particles erupt from the Sun's surface.

When these waves of particles come near to Earth it creates the colours we see in the night sky, glowing green, red, blue and pink.

The energetic particles that have erupted from the Sun can travel millions of miles.

When they collide with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere, these atoms become energised, too.

When this happens, they emit light. This is what creates the colours we see in the sky.

The Northern Lights are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle but at times of high solar activity they can be seen in other places, too.

This week they've been visible in lots of place around the UK.

Weather conditions can affect how clearly you can see them.

They are most visible when the sky is dark and clear, with as little light pollution as possible.

The Met Office - which is the UK's national weather service - don't think we'll see another display of the northern lights over the next few days because the solar storm has got weaker.

But, there should be more chances to see them over the next few months, as solar activity is set to stay high.