Did you catch the aurora?

On Thursday night 12th September, the aurora danced across our night skies, with many across Europe capturing a glimpse of the show.

Skies across the entirety of the UK and Ireland were clear, allowing for perfect visibility if you were far enough north to be able to see them.

However even those as far south as Leicester and Shropshire managed to see the ethereal sights, as well as across other large parts of Europe.

The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, can sometimes be seen over the UK and Ireland during periods of heightened solar activity, such as geomagnetic storms.

In these events, energised particles are ejected from the Sun in the form of coronal mass ejections and travel towards Earth.

When they reach Earth's upper atmosphere, these particles interact with the planet's magnetic field, colliding with oxygen and nitrogen molecules.

This interaction causes the molecules to emit colourful light, creating the stunning displays known as the Northern Lights.

Did you catch them too? Send in your aurora shots to our uploader for a chance to be featured!