The stunning colours of the Northern Lights were seen above the town last night – and captured in full by members of our camera club.
Marta Artavejas captured these pictures on Scout Road in Smithills Country Park.
The display of lights were hidden behind the clouds but you can still make out the blue and purple hues behind their cover.
The Northern Lights were seen above Bolton last night (Image: Marta Artavejas) Over the last year, stargazers have been spoiled with several displays of the lights also known as the Aurora Borealis.
The Northern Lights were seen above Bolton last night (Image: Marta Artavejas) Unfortunately, the rainy weather put an end to anyone’s night of stargazing and the lights were no longer visible.
The Northern Lights were seen above Bolton last night (Image: Marta Artavejas) Yesterday morning (June 13), AuroraWatch UK issued a red alert for the Northern Lights to be visible in our skies yesterday night.
Explaining what a red alert means, AuroraWatch UK shares: “It is likely that aurora will be visible by eye and camera from anywhere in the UK.”
AuroraWatch UK is a free service that is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics.
If you want the latest alerts on the Northern Lights, you can find out more via AuroraWatch UK.
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What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights are caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth’s atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.
Nitrogen and oxygen are the two most common gases in the atmosphere, with nitrogen emitting purple, blue and pink colours and oxygen emitting green.