Even seen in Europe: Northern Lights shine over the UK

The Northern Lights have been active and visible in the UK and Ireland for the past week, with auroras even appearing over Western Europe.

Typically confined to more northern latitudes, the Aurora Borealis graced our skies this past week. Images sent in by Weather & Radar users show the green and red hues as far south as Devon in the UK.

September marked the start of the aurora season, where activity on the sun's surface results in greater activity in our atmosphere, pushing the famous natural phenomenon further south towards our countries.

The reaction between solar particles and the Earth's atmosphere was so intense the lights were even snapped in Harzgerode, central Germany, by a Weather & Radar user.

While the lights may have been visible over much of the UK and Ireland, you may wonder why you didn't see them. Most of these events are only visible through camera equipment attuned to capture the colours.

Living in large cities also hampers your chance of spotting the spectacle due to light pollution masking the night sky.

For the best chance, head somewhere dark and free from artificial lighting, look towards the horizon in the direction of the North Star.

Auroras are tricky to forecast, harder than our weather. The best way is to monitor the KP Index. This is a scale which tracks geomagnetic activity and runs from level zero to nine. For the lights to appear over England, a KP Index of five is generally required.

Even then, we need clear, dark skies and a pinch of luck for one of nature's most awe-inspiring sights to appear.