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Northern lights dazzle skies over West of England

Matt Stead A deep purple and green sky over Ruardean Hill in the Forest of DeanMatt Stead
Weather watchers were stunned with a bright display in Ruardean Hill in the Forest of Dean

Jaw-dropping displays of the Northern Lights have been seen across the West of England at the same time as the Perseid meteor shower.

Skies above Cirencester and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire turned purple on Monday evening and the sight was also spotted above Bristol and in Somerset.

The Aurora Borealis has been spotted more regularly in the UK over the last few months.

With enhanced solar activity continuing, BBC Weather says there will be more chances to see the aurora over the coming months.

Kevin Denman A deep purple sky with flashes of bright lights over silhouetted houses Kevin Denman
The skies turned purple over Whitminster in Gloucestershire
Sam Binding A purple sky over the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol Sam Binding
The skies above Bristol had a purple glow
Graeme Healey A night sky filled with stars and a soft red glow in the CotswoldsGraeme Healey
A soft red glow was seen above Perrotts Brook in the Churn Valley

What are the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights - or aurora borealis - appear as bright, swirling curtains of lights in the night sky and range in colour from green to pink and scarlet.

It is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere.

The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth's atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.

The two most common gases in the Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen atoms glow green - the colour most often seen in the Northern Lights, while nitrogen atoms emit purple, blue and pink.

The most impressive auroras occur when the sun emits really large clouds of particles called "coronal mass ejections".

Graeme Healey A shot of a green space with purple skies Graeme Healey
The sky had a remarkable glow in the Cotswolds
Sarah Morton Purple skies filled with stars over Chedworth in the Cotswolds Sarah Morton
Chedworth in the Cotswolds was treated to a beautiful display
Alan Dicks Purple and green skies over Watchet Alan Dicks
The skies were illuminated over Watchet in Somerset too
Nigel Ashley Purple and green skies over Ilminster Nigel Ashley
The sight was also seen over Ilminster in Somerset

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