Northern Lights dazzle stargazers

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 10, View of boats on the beach at Flamborough, flanked by cliffs, with the green and purple of the Northern Lights in the background, Flamborough, East Yorkshire
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People in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were treated to the splendour of the Northern Lights on Thursday night.

The lights could be seen in several locations, with many of the photos captured as the skies darkened at about 19:30 BST.

Craig Snell, weather forecaster at the Met Office, said a solar storm caused a powerful flare from the sun on Wednesday, which arrived in our atmosphere yesterday evening.

He said: "The moon set early, giving people a good chance to see the Northern Lights."

The phenomenon, also known as the aurora borealis, is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Northern Lights seen over UK skies in stunning photos

They have been particularly visible in 2024 due to the biggest geomagnetic storm since 2003, according to Sean Elvidge, a professor in space environment at the University of Birmingham.

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