Northern Lights dazzle skies above the UK

The Northern Lights lit up the skies with bright pink hues visible on Thursday.

Photos of the dazzling natural phenomenon, also known as aurora borealis, were captured across England.

The lights could be seen as far south as Kent and East Anglia, and were also spotted further north in Lancaster by Professor Jim Wild, 49, who captured the Northern Lights from his back garden.

The academic, who researches the aurora and space weather at Lancaster University, told the PA news agency: "My research focuses on the physics of the connections between the Sun and the Earth.

"Over the years, I've been to the Arctic Circle several times to make measurements of the aurora, but it's really special to see the northern lights from your back garden with your whole family."

A spokesman for the Met Office said there had been "more space weather events in recent months", including the Northern Lights, because the sun was nearing the peak of its solar cycle.

The Northern Lights over the UK

What causes the Northern Lights?

The auroras on Earth, which are most commonly seen over high polar latitudes but can spread south, are chiefly influenced by geomagnetic storms which originate from activity on the Sun.

The sun works on a cycle of around 11 years called the solar cycle - with peak sunspot activity on the surface of the Sun referred to as solar maximum.

Sunspots give the potential for Earth-directed releases of large bursts of energy, called coronal mass ejections, which can lead to aurora visibility.

Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth's atmosphere around the magnetic poles.

As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

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