Northern lights and Perseid meteor shower put on dazzling display

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Stargazers were treated to a dazzling sight as the Perseid meteor shower passed through the sky, and in some areas through the northern lights.

Also known as the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights put on a stunning show across the UK on Monday night – with more expected on Tuesday evening with widespread clear skies.

Marina Muttik, 29, a software engineer who lives in Berkhamsted, Herts, but witnessed the northern lights and Perseid meteor shower from Chesham, Buckinghamshire, described the experience as “humbling”.

She told the PA news agency: “The aurora was peaking at around 11.30pm, which is when some of the pink became more visible to the eye.

“It’s always humbling watching the night sky, and the Perseid meteor shower added a touch of magic – perfect for making a few wishes.”

Kirsty Louise, who is 30 and based in Plymouth, Devon, captured photos of the meteor shower on her phone at around 11.20pm on Monday.

She said: “Funnily enough I couldn’t actually see what I saw on my phone. When I saw the photos it made me feel happy, I absolutely love anything to do with space, so seeing that and knowing I caught it on my phone made me feel happy.”

In Northumberland, the shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower were seen darting through the sky which had turned hues of purple and green over the Bathing House in Howick.

According to the Met Office, the northern lights are usually best witnessed in Scotland, northern England, North Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, under certain space weather conditions – a particularly strong geomagnetic storm – they can be seen throughout the UK.

The natural light display is caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with Earth’s magnetic field.

The colour display depends in part on what molecules the charged particles interact with.

The Met Office forecast suggests the activity should return back to background levels on Tuesday, with any visible aurora restricted to the far north of Scotland.

Clear skies across the country also meant people were able to catch a glimpse of the Perseids on Monday night.

The event is associated with the dusty debris left by comet Swift-Tuttle, which orbits the sun once every 133 years.

The meteoroids from the comet, mostly no bigger than a grain of sand, burn up as they hit the Earth’s atmosphere at 36 miles per second, to produce a shooting stream of light in the sky.