Northern Lights illuminate county's night sky

The Northern Lights were captured by a BBC Weather Watcher as they illuminated the night sky in parts of England.

The lights - also known as the aurora borealis - made an appearance over Northamptonshire.

Meteorologists said the phenomenon was often easier to see through a camera or telescope.

BBC Weather Watcher "andyaurorahunter", who took pictures in Titchmarch, said he was "glad I put my thermals on".

He said it was so cold at 01:00 BST, he thought his fingers were going to fall off.

After 15 minutes he said the display looked like it was "starting to fade" before it picked up again.

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.

In the northern hemisphere, most of this activity takes place near the Arctic Circle.

When solar activity is strong, this can expand to cover a greater area - which explains why displays can be occasionally seen as far south as the UK.

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