Northern Lights dazzle over West of England

4 days ago

The Cotswold village of Chalford was one of the places the spectacle could be seen

BBC Weather Watchers / Aurora Watcher The Northern Lights in a starry sky above a black silhouette of trees — The Cotswold village of Chalford was one of the places the spectacle could be seen

The Northern Lights lit up the skies across parts of the West of England on Wednesday night.

BBC Weather Watchers shared photos of the enchanting sight, known as aurora borealis, in Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire between 21:00 and 23:00 BST.

It could be seen after a "severe geomagnetic storm", reaching level four out of five on the geomagnetic storm scale, according to AuroraWatch UK.

BBC Weather reported the aurora was enhanced due to the strength of the storm, and could be seen across southern England.

The storm was seen across southern England, like here in Liddington, Wiltshire.

BBC Weather Watchers / Dotty A sky full of stars with a faint Northern Lights display with slight purple colours — The storm was seen across southern England, like here in Liddington, Wiltshire.

Salisbury, in Wiltshire, also had a strong display of the lights

BBC Weather Watchers / Tedder The Northern Lights in a starry sky and underneath some houses. — Salisbury, in Wiltshire, also had a strong display of the lights

It comes after a vibrant display was seen across Scotland on Tuesday, meaning for two nights in a row the spectacle shone across the UK.

BBC Weather added more sightings in the coming weeks and months are possible as solar activity remains high.

Weather Watchers were also treated to the display in Chard, Somerset

BBC Weather Watchers / James The Northern Lights in a starry sky taken from a garden and a large tree is in frame. — Weather Watchers were also treated to the display in Chard, Somerset

There have been frequent sightings of the aurora in the UK over the last year.

The sun is currently at a "maximum" in its 11-year solar cycle.

This means there are lots of sunspots on the surface which are like volcanoes and occasionally erupt. They are also known as Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's) and release extra material and energy out to space.