Northern Lights: Breathtaking Aurora Borealis display lit up UK sky with vivid colour

The short video clip (click to play above)shows a series of images taken as the dazzling colours shimmered in the North West sky, during what was described as the strongest and most widespread showing of the Aurora Borealis in the UK since May.

The series of images was taken on Cleveleys beach, between 10 and 10:30pm on Thursday evening. Lucinda Herbert, who captured the incredible phenomenon with her camera, said: “At first there was a faint showing of green, not really visible to the eye, as I looked towards the Lakes. I turned around to walk back up the beach, and that’s when I saw an absolutely incredible streak of pink light above the buildings.

It was actually visible to the eye, which I was really shocked to see. It was magical to watch, and it then seemed to move out towards the sea as the colours became stronger. The series of images I took clearly shows how the lights shifted around the sky.”

The Met Officer issued a G4 storm watch, which meant a strong chance of seeing the aurora being visible throughout the UK.

Craig Snell, a weather forecaster at the Met Office, said a solar storm caused a powerful flare from the sun on Wednesday, which arrived in our atmosphere on Thursday evening.

He said the strength of the lights would ebb and flow throughout the evening, but the lights may be captured at different times throughout the night.