Normally, you’d have to travel as far as Iceland to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights a.k.a. aurora borealis but this beautiful phenomenon could recently be seen along the North East coast. Eager photographers were quick to snap pictures of the beautiful scenes, many of which have now been shared online. Owen Humphreys, a photographer with the Press Association was among keen to share the photos, having become hooked to the display after witnessing it three years ago over St. Mary’s Island, Whitley Bay. The light show was also visible from the same location during the most recent event.
While the colours in the photos may be more vivid than they usually are when seen using the naked eye, this doesn’t make the actual display any less impressive. Auroras are usually seen near the magnetic poles in both the northern and southern hemisphere. The phenomenon is caused by charged particles colliding in the earth’s atmosphere. Because cameras pick up more information than the naked eye, the colours in the photographs are much more vivid. You also need cloud free skies to properly see the lights and the bright lights from towns and cities should also be avoided.
One of the best spots to catch the Northern Lights in Northumberland is at the St. Cuthbert’s Cross in Alnmouth.
Owen Humphreys has captured several stunning photographs of the light show from the same spot before. It is believed that when the King petitioned St. Cuthbert to become the Bishop of Lindisfarne, the location of the cross is where he accepted the request. Whitley Bay is also a great spot and several photographs, apart from Owen Humphreys, have also taken advantage of the unique scenery to capture great photos of the Northern Lights including Ian Harman. Low Huxley is also a great spot to capture great photos of the event as shown by photographer Paul Moss who managed to get the aurora, the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy in one shot.
While the aurora is only faintly visible in the shot, the resulting photo is still quite stunning.
If you weren’t lucky enough to see the most recent event, there are plenty of photos available. If you too managed to capture some photos of the phenomenon you can share the images along with your name and the location where the picture was taken.