Aurora Borealis: Magical photo shows the Northern Lights shining brightly over Derbyshire

It shows the Northern Lights shining brightly over the skies in Shirebrook, as residents across the East Midlands were treated to a breathtaking spectacle last night (April 16) when the Aurora Borealis made a rare appearance in local skies.

Sky-gazers were quick to share photos of the pink glow on social media, with those in the Peak District afforded the best view of the phenomenon. Reader Mark Haslehurst, in Shirebrook, managed to capture some great photos of the lights as they shone brightly in the night sky.

The Northern Lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Most of these particles are deflected away, but some become captured in the Earth’s magnetic field, accelerating down towards the north and south poles into the atmosphere. The beautiful colours of the lights are caused by different gases burning, with nitrogen and oxygen the two primary gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Green streaks we see in the aurora are characteristic of oxygen, while hints of purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen. The Northern Lights are predominantly seen in Scotland and northern England, but on rare occasions they can be spotted over the midlands and even as south as Cornwall.

Tracking websites, such as AuroraWatch UK are a good way to see when the lights will be visible.