The Northern Lights dance across Devon and Cornwall

Communities in Devon and Cornwall cast their eyes skyward as the northern lights danced across the region.

Known as the aurora borealis, the lights became visible after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms to date.

The storm triggered a warning from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

According to BBC weather, clear skies on Friday evening increased the chances of catching one of nature’s most fascinating spectacles.

Storms of this magnitude could affect infrastructure, including satellites and the power grid, NOAA warned.

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said “the conditions could continue on Saturday night, but we still need to work out some details on exactly where that will be”.

What are the Northern Lights?

The aurora borealis – or northern lights – appear as curtains of brilliant, swirling lights in the night sky and range in color from green to pink and scarlet.

It is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Colors occur due to various gases in the Earth’s atmosphere being energized by charged particles.

The two most common gases in Earth’s atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen atoms glow green – the color most often seen in the aurora borealis, while nitrogen atoms emit purple, blue and pink.

The most impressive auroras occur when the Sun emits really large clouds of particles called “coronal mass ejections.”

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