Dazzling Northern Lights array illuminates skies

Skies across north-west England were aglow with a dazzling Northern Lights display.

Stargazers in Lancashire, Merseyside and Cumbria captured the phenomena in a stunning series of photographs taken on Tuesday.

The lights - officially known as aurora borealis - are visible when energised particles from the sun hit Earth's upper atmosphere.

Because the Earth's magnetic field deflects the particles towards the poles, they are most visible closest to the arctic, and near Antarctica, where they are known as Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights.

The shimmering array of colours is created by different gases becoming energised, with abundant oxygen atom glowing green, and nitrogen atoms lighting up purple, blue and pink.

The Northern Lights display was also clearly visible in the East Midlands, and as far south as Cornwall and Dorset.