Your Northern Lights pictures as Birmingham and Black Country treated to stunning lights show

The stunning natural phenomenon was seen by thousands of people in the UK last night

The Northern Lights illuminated Birmingham's skies with bright pink and green hues last night, October 10. Hundreds of photos of the dazzling natural phenomenon, also known as aurora borealis, were captured across the UK.

The lights could be seen from some cities, despite light pollution, such as in Wolverhampton and Birmingham. But the best images were captured from villages and out in the countryside away from bright city lights.

The lights could be seen as far south as Kent and East Anglia. And Professor Jim Wild captured the Northern Lights up north from his back garden in Lancaster.

READ MORE: Campaigners back major change to busy Birmingham road saying 'it'll bring high street back'

The 49-year-old academic, who researches the aurora and space weather at Lancaster University, told the PA news agency: “My research focuses on the physics of the connections between the Sun and the Earth.

Northern Lights illuminate Birmingham and Black Country skies - pics

View gallery

“Over the years, I’ve been to the Arctic Circle several times to make measurements of the aurora. But it’s really special to see the northern lights from your back garden with your whole family.”

The Met Office had forecast clear skies for much of the UK last night, which it said had created a “decent chance of visibility”. A spokesman for the forecaster said there had been “more space weather events in recent months”.

Why were the lights visible?

The auroras on Earth, which are most commonly seen over high polar latitudes but can spread south, are chiefly influenced by geomagnetic storms which originate from activity on the sun. The sun works on a cycle of around 11 years called the solar cycle – with peak sunspot activity on the surface of the Sun referred to as solar maximum.

Sunspots give the potential for Earth-directed releases of large bursts of energy, called coronal mass ejections, which can lead to aurora visibility.
Aurora displays occur when charged particles collide with gases in the Earth’s atmosphere around the magnetic poles. As they collide, light is emitted at various wavelengths, creating colourful displays in the sky.

Did you see the lights last night? Let us know in the comments.