LONDON -- They're a more regular sight at this time of the year for people who live in northern parts of Europe, but seeing the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights is a rare treat for most people in the UK.
A geomagnetic storm, which is just one notch below the highest category of solar storm, was behind the display. The storm is the result of a pair of coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, that left the Sun on March 15 and are now interacting with Earth's atmosphere and geomagnetic field.
As forecasted by the Met Office there was extensive cloud cover over most of the UK, but parts of Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and some parts of Scotland managed to catch the multi-colour spectacle. The display was also visible in parts of the U.S., while the the Southern Lights or the Aurora Australis provided a magnificent light display in parts of Australia and New Zealand.
Here's a selection of what the stargazers and photographers captured on Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning:
Wales
Got it! The #AuroraBorealis shows off its gorgeous colours in Mid-Wales. #NorthernLights @OlympusUK @VisitTywyn pic.twitter.com/ZSaxgqgIDA— MirrorLessons (@MirrorLessons) March 17, 2015
Love this #photo #aurora over #Cumbria's #coast at #Whitehaven last night pic.twitter.com/sCE57kVBWp by Ade Fisher— Cumbria Tourism PR (@LakeDistrictPR) March 18, 2015
Northern Ireland
St Patrick's Night 2015. Lough Neagh. Paddleboarding selfie under the Aurora! Magical pic.twitter.com/ZwP1tdU2Dz— Tam Mullen (@TamMullen) March 18, 2015
St.Patrick's night aurora! @barrabest @WeatherCee @BelTel @ILoveNorthCoast @PictureIreland @utv @angie_weather pic.twitter.com/X8io01L3iF— Hibernia Landscapes (@Hiberniaphoto) March 18, 2015
#Aurora at Musseden Temple - The #Solarstorm just kept on going :) pic.twitter.com/dfMOLJUy4n— Martina Gardiner (@martinagardiner) March 18, 2015
Panoramic 180 degree view of #aurora at the Giant’s Causeway last night #Solarstorm #Ireland pic.twitter.com/lGYhsXZMIU— Martina Gardiner (@martinagardiner) March 18, 2015
Scotland
Oh wow .. went out again. Got the stones all to myself. :) #aurora #AuroraBorealis #callanish #Scotland pic.twitter.com/idUXkVnBh7— CallanishDD (@CallanishDD) March 18, 2015
Great fun on north coast of Scotland tonight @TamithaSkov @VirtualAstro #Aurora #pulsing #awesometowatch pic.twitter.com/OBL25rLMNQ— Karen Munro (@kasmunro) March 18, 2015
England
Northern Lights selfie.(had to happen) .from Stephen Cheatley in Oakenclough, Forest of Bowland. pic.twitter.com/gj9LZPzXNn— North West Tonight (@BBCNWT) March 18, 2015
The #Aurora over Slaley #Northumberland tonight @bbcweather @BBCLN @VisitNland @2northumberland @VirtualAstro pic.twitter.com/axYE4Kpkmg— Dr Jacqui Mair (@JacquiMair) March 17, 2015
Additional reporting by Andrew Freedman.