Skip to content

In pictures: Northern lights in southern England caught on camera

Mary McIntyre captured this beautiful image of the sky over Tackley in Oxfordshire

The northern lights provided an impressive display in the skies above the south of England overnight on Sunday.

An aurora is formed by a solar flare erupting on the Sun, sending charged particles towards Earth which interact with our atmosphere.

The most vibrant display was across Scotland and northern England where the aurora was made up of bright greens and deep reds.

But it is seldom seen in southern England.

Pictures taken by members of the public and BBC Weather Watchers captured the light phenomenon as far south as Oxfordshire, Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

A Met Office spokesperson said the rare sightings were due to the "strength" of a geomagnetic storm and the "strip of cloudless skies".

BBC Weather Watcher Mary McIntyre Tackley, OxfordshireBBC Weather Watcher Mary McIntyre
More displays are expected on Monday night where skies remain clear, according to the Met Office
Mark Cooper Northern Lights, FreshwaterMark Cooper
Mark Cooper took this picture in Freshwater on the Isle of Wight on Sunday shortly before 22:00
Gavin Jones Witney, Oxfordshire, Northern LightsGavin Jones
Gavin Jones watched the display from Witney, Oxfordshire
Gareth Lloyd Wareham Northern LightsGareth Lloyd
Gareth Lloyd managed to capture the display with his mobile phone over Wareham
Richard Barnes-Willis Aurora Borealis in BursledonRichard Barnes-Willis
The lights creating a colourful night sky in Bursledon in this picture taken by Richard Barnes-Willis
Karen Foulkes Curdridge Northern LightsKaren Foulkes
Karen Foulkes managed to get a snap of the display in the night sky above Curdridge, Hampshire

All pictures subject to copyright.

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].