The northern lights are usually most visible near the Earth’s magnetic north and south poles, but thanks to clear skies across the UK over the past two nights, the light spectacle has reached as far south as Cornwall and Hertfordshire. Here, readers in Scotland and England share their recent sightings.
‘One of the best displays I have seen’
I have been going out to take photos of the aurora for years and this is one of the best displays I have seen. The photo was taken at Burgie Arboretum in Forres, Moray, at 11 pm on the 26 February. It was amazing to see the lights so active, I often go out to see the lights and it can be very hit or miss, the last time I saw a solar storm this strong was in 2016.
For me, it is about the challenge and the reward. You can go out and spend an hour in the cold, and then just as you are about to give up, the night sky lights up. Chris Aldridge, Forres, Moray
‘It’s always awe-inspiring’
I live in a small village in the national park and have done so for 20 years. I have an aurora app on my phone that alerts me when sightings are possible so I see them most years. Last night’s sightings were some of the best, though. These were taken 10 minutes’ walk from the house away from the street lights. The photo was taken on 26 February at 9.45pm at Strathyre, Loch Lomond & Trossachs national park, where I live.
It’s always awe-inspiring to see the northern lights. I’ve lived here for 20 years and have seen them most years, but this was one of the best and most colourful displays I have seen. Lee Hesp, Strathyre, Loch Lomond national park
‘It’s unheard of to see the aurora so far south’
The photo was taken looking due north near Woburn in Bedfordshire at 9.15pm on Monday night. We were both thrilled by the images because the pink hues were actually invisible to the naked eye, but picked up by the camera’s sensor. It’s unheard of to see the aurora so far south, so it really did make the adventure (on a school night!) very worthwhile. Alex, Bedfordshire
‘The lights were almost dancing’
It took this photo on my iPhone at 9.15pm on Sunday 26 February in Achmelvich, near Lochinver. I’ve been staying there with friends and they called me outside to see the aurora. Having twisted a calf a few days earlier, I couldn’t hobble far from the house – but was treated to these beautiful colours and dancing lights. Magic! It was mesmerising watching the lights almost dancing, with such vivid colours. I only had time to grab my phone. What an amazing thing an aurora is. It was breathtaking, really. It was also my first ever northern lights, so that felt very special. Susi Petherick, Achmelvich
‘To see it 10 minutes from where I live was incredible’
I captured the northern lights in Heartwood Forest, just outside St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Sunday 26 February at 11pm. The solar activity was extremely strong and people were catching the aurora around the UK, so thought I would give it a go and drive to the nearest place with less light pollution and a clear view of the northern horizon. Pretty much straight away, I captured the aurora on my phone camera, which picked up the amazing purple and pink colours and even a few vertical beams.
To the naked eye, it was much harder to see, but I could just about pick out some faint colours in an unusually bright night sky. I have been fortunate enough to see the northern lights several times before in Finland and Norway, but to do so just 10 minutes from where I live was an incredible experience. Joel Rabinowitz, 26, St Albans
‘A reminder of how beautiful the world can be’
I saw a beautiful display of the aurora borealis above Lendrick Hill in the eastern Ochil Hills, lasting for several hours. The photo was taken on Sunday 26 February at 10.32pm. I had seen images of the northern lights taken nearby that evening on social media, so I walked outside my house to see if they were visible, and was treated to one of the best displays I have seen this far south.
They are always a reminder of how beautiful the world can be. As I suspect is common among photographers, I have not lost my sense of awe for the beauty in nature and the natural world. I don’t seek out the northern lights specifically; I like hillwalking at night, so the aurora is an occasional companion when I’m out on the hills after dark. William Starkey, Crook of Devon, Kinross-shire
