Northern lights dazzle skies over West of England

Stunning views of the Northern Lights have been spotted throughout Western England while the Perseid meteor shower was occurring.

The sky over Cirencester and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire changed to a shade of purple on Monday evening, and the same phenomenon was seen in Bristol and Somerset.

The Northern Lights have been seen more frequently in the United Kingdom in recent months.

With increased solar activity ongoing, BBC Weather predicts that there will be more opportunities to witness the aurora in the upcoming months.

Have you ever wondered about the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights?

The Northern Lights, also known as aurora borealis, are stunning, swirling displays of light that can be seen in the night sky. They come in various colors, such as green, pink, and scarlet.

This happens when particles from the sun's energy come into contact with gases in the Earth's outer layer.

The colors appear because various gases in the Earth's atmosphere are excited by the energized particles.

The Earth's atmosphere is mostly made up of two gases, nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen atoms give off a green glow, which is commonly seen in the Northern Lights. On the other hand, nitrogen atoms produce colors like purple, blue, and pink.

The most breathtaking auroras happen when the sun releases massive clouds of particles known as "coronal mass ejections".

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