Spectacular Northern Lights illuminate sky over UK

A "lucky combination" of conditions produced a dramatic light show - as snapped here over Patterdale in Cumbria

There have been spectacular displays of the Aurora Borealis - better known as the Northern Lights - across parts of the UK overnight. The colourful phenomenon was visible in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but was also spotted as far south as Anglesey and Oxfordshire.

Brian Doyle captured the kaleidoscope of colours over Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire

Aurora Borealis occurs when electrically-charged particles from the Sun enter the Earth's atmosphere. Many people took to social media to share photographs of the dramatic show.

Damian Money took this shot of the northern lights over Saltburn Pier in North Yorkshire

• What are the Northern Lights?

Forecasters had predicted a solar storm and good conditions for Aurora Borealis, and sightings of green, pink, purple, red and yellow lights were reported for several hours from about 20:00 GMT.
Gavin Chambers, an RSPB warden, tweeted pictures of vivid green in the sky over Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales, saying: "Well worth getting back out of bed for!!"

Donna Butcher, from Staveley, Cumbria, tweeted to say she had been watching an "amazing display" with "shafts of light streaming directly towards Polaris". Met Office space weather adviser Amanda Townsend said a "lucky combination" of conditions had made for a fantastic display.

"Once in a while the solar winds are enhanced to levels stronger than normal, with particles at higher speeds, and on this occasion it has connected really well with the Earth's magnetic field," she said.