Northern Lights put on a dazzling show over Dorset

The spectacle was spotted over many parts of Dorset including Bournemouth, east Dorset and Purbeck.

Jim Maclannan, 51, from Highcliffe, took a stunning image of the sky illuminated with bright pink lights at Knowlton Church. 

Jim shared his capture in the Daily Echo's Dorset Camera Club on Facebook.

He said: "I'd been monitoring the solar activity on the apps for the last day.

"It was looking promising and all the apps on my phone just started going crazy so I went out."

Jim said there were between 20 and 30 photographers at Knowlton Church hoping to get a glimpse of the lights. 

He got to the site at around 8.30pm on Sunday evening with solar activity taking place between 10.30pm and 11pm. 

He said it was a "huge surprise" to see the lights so clearly and it was "definitely" one of the best things he's photographed. 

He added: "It's probably one of the strongest we've seen in the UK for years."

He said he had previously seen the Aurora Borealis during a trip to Iceland last year when he spent around two weeks "chasing the lights all over the place".

It is the first time he has seen the lights in the UK. 

Elsewhere, the lights were spotted over parts Weymouth and Dorchester.

Over the White Horse at Osmington by Tracey Ann Smith/Dorset Camera Club 

On Sunday afternoon, the Met Office said Scotland and northern England were most likely to see the Aurora Borealis with cloud possible for elsewhere.

The Northern Lights over Corfe Castle by Andy Lyons (Image: Andy Lyons)

However, the spectacle lit up the skies across Dorset to the delight of many.

Lights over Dorchester by Sarah Stockham/Dorset Camera Club (Image: Sarah Stockham/Camera Club)

The Met Office said clear skies on Monday evening will mean a greater chance for some good views.

In Scotland and northern England you may be able to spot the #Aurora Borealis tonight, though there will be too much cloud for most

Clearer skies tomorrow night mean there will be a greater chance for some good views pic.twitter.com/uyoBu96bRV

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 23, 2023

Jayden, aged 15, took this image in his back garden at 9.30pm in Bournemouth (Image: Jayden)

The Aurora is caused by atoms and molecules in our atmosphere colliding with particles from the Sun, according to the Royal Museum Greenwich.

Over Piddle Valley by Anita Nixon (Image: Anita Nixon)

The light's wavy patterns are created by force lines in the Earth's magnetic field, with the different colours created by different gasses.

Rory Puddle took this image at Knowlton Church (Image: Rory Puddle)

The lowest area of the Aurora is normally around 80 miles from Earth whilst the top could be hundreds of miles above Earth.

According to the Met Office forecast, Dorset will see cloudy conditions overnight on Monday.

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