23 January 2012 Last updated at 16:37

In pictures: Northern lights above northern England

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, have been spotted in the skies above northern England. The Tan Hill Pub, on the Pennine moorland at Swaledale, North Yorkshire, is shown in silhouette against a multi-coloured sky.

The aurora borealis is named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for the north wind, Boreas.

St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay is framed by the northern lights in this photograph by Thomas Heaton.

This photo was taken on January 22, 2012

This photo was taken from the Holy Island causeway, looking towards Berwick, in Northumberland.

This image of the northern lights was also taken by Mr Heaton at St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay.

The phenomenon is caused by charged gas particles flowing away from the sun as a solar wind interacting with the earth's magnetic field. This picture was taken from Cresswell Beach in Northumberland, by Lee Jennings.

England

In pictures: Northern lights above northern England

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