Where and when to see the Northern Lights over Yorkshire this weekend

A spectacular display of the Northern Lights could be seen across all parts of the region overnight on Thursday.

With clear skies dominating the overnight period an enhanced display was visible for a number of hours after nightfall, especially after the half-moon had set at around 10.15pm.

What caused the Northern Lights?

The Aurora Borealis are a direct result of weather in space and activity from the sun.

Charged particles from the sun - called a coronal mass ejection (CME) - explode into space.

If these charged particles move towards the earth they can interact with the earth's magnetic field and upper atmosphere.

These charged particles are called solar winds, and can stream away from the sun at speeds of around one million miles per hour.

In turn, these atmospheric charges are drawn to the earth's magnetic poles, which is often why in the UK the aurora is seen more often in Scotland.

It's only when the storm is strong enough that the Northern Lights can be seen further south.

A fast CME left the sun on Wednesday and arrived at earth through the second half of Thursday, causing a severe geomagnetic storm.

Why were the colours so red?

Last night's display was quite rare as many of you witnessed a red aurora.

Depending on which gas molecules are hit and where they are in the atmosphere, different amounts of energy are released as different wavelengths of light.

Oxygen gives off green light when it is hit 60 miles above the earth. When this happens at between 100 and 200 above the earth the rare, all-red auroras are produced.

Nitrogen causes the sky to glow blue, yet when higher in the atmosphere the glow has a purple hue.

Can we see the Northern Lights again over the coming nights?

Although there is a chance in northern parts of our region again tonight, sightings are most likely over Scotland and similar latitudes by the coming nightfall.

Weather conditions aren't quite as favourable, with patchy cloud and showers a risk to southern parts of the region.

The best chance would be after dark but earlier rather than later in the night.

Determined sky gazers should head north - with the best hope of catching a glimpse probably over the West Yorkshire Pennines, Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.

Wherever you are, look north towards the horizon.

The pictures look amazing. How do I get the best image?

If you're using a digital camera, it will let more light into the lens than the naked eye, so it's not necessarily a fabrication of the truth but the colours will be slightly enhanced.

To get a realistic but more vibrant images one of our weather watchers has told me it shows up great on long exposure.

Sheffield viewer Simon Walkden's top tip is to use your "night mode" function.

They seem to have been more frequent recently. Why?

Space weather, similar to the UK, has seasons - a cycle of around 11 years in which maximum and minimum activity occurs on the sun.

We are approaching solar maximum, which means displays like the one seen this both this May and October could well become more frequent through this winter period and next.

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