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Northern Lights create Norfolk coast summer showcase

Gary Pearson Northern Lights over Brancaster Staithe in NorfolkGary Pearson
A clear night and activity from the sun created the perfect conditions for a Northern Lights display

Aurora hunters were given a treat in the early hours of Monday when the Northern Lights created a display of "pillars and greens" visible to the naked eye.

A clear night sky, a set moon and several solar flares created the perfect conditions to see the aurora off the Norfolk coast, which, when photographed, also revealed purple hues.

The Northern Lights are caused by the interaction of the solar wind - a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun - and our planet's magnetic field and atmosphere.

James Rowley-Hill A display of the Northern Lights seen from Salthouse heath in NorfolkJames Rowley-Hill
People camping at Salthouse on the Norfolk coast were delighted to see the display

"I'd been expecting the lights all day," said Norfolk-based aurora hunter James Rowley-Hill, who also administers the 20,000-strong Aurora UK group on Facebook.

"It first kicked off on Saturday night in Canada but I wasn't expecting as good a show as this, I'm well happy," he said.

James Rowley-Hill Northern Lights over North Sea as seen from the Norfolk coast at SalthouseJames Rowley-Hill
The display was strong enough for the pillars to be seen by the naked eye once adjusted to the dark
Gary Pearson Aurora borealis seen from Brancaster Staithe in NorfolkGary Pearson
Observing auroras gives scientists insight on how our planet's magnetosphere reacts to the space weather near Earth, said NASA

Photographer Gary Pearson made the most of the display a little further along the Norfolk coast at Brancaster Staithe.

"You could see the pillars and the greens of the aurora clearly with the naked eye once adjusted to the dark last night," he said.

"The other colours were picked up on camera due to the camera's long exposure recording what your eyes can't see, and, because of that, cameras are always able to capture the colours far more vividly."

Gary Pearson Northern Lights over Brancaster Staithe in NorfolkGary Pearson
The Northern Lights start at the sun when a sunspot or coronal hole allows a batch of charged particles to leave the sun and travel towards the Earth on the solar wind

He added: "To photograph them you really need a camera on a tripod that can be set to take a long exposure of say 20 or 30 seconds, but I have seen quite a few photos of Monday's [aurora] taken with mobile phones."

Weather forecaster Dan Holley said it might be possible to observe the Northern Lights on Monday evening from the Norfolk coast as it "will remain fairly clear but some fog patches may develop, especially towards dawn."

Stuart Hill Northern Lights from Wells-next-the-Sea, NorfolkStuart Hill
The display could also be seen from Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk
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Photos by Gary Pearson, James Rowley-Hill and Stuart Hill