Street lighting in Reykjavik has been switched off for an hour to give residents of the Icelandic capital a better view of the aurora borealis.
Most parts of the world’s northernmost capital city, including the centre, went dark from 10pm on Wednesday.
“Residents are invited to join in by turning out the lights at home so as to maximise the darkness and minimise light pollution,” the local government said in a statement.
The aurora borealis, or northern lights, are multicoloured natural illuminations caused by interactions between solar winds and the Earth’s magnetic field.
Posts on social media showed the colourful lights filling the night sky above the city.
The lights lit a green path in the night.
The city reportedly decided to switch off the street lights because a strong aurora was forecast.
It also encouraged businesses and private homeowners to do the same.
The result was quite beautiful.
