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North and north-east stargazers look to the skies: Here’s some of the best pictures of the Northern Lights

Northern Lights at Pennan Bay. Picture by Fiona McRae of SunshineNshadows
Northern Lights at Pennan Bay. Picture by Fiona McRae of SunshineNshadows

Skies across the north and north-east were once again brought to life by nature’s greatest light show.

On Saturday night, stargazers were amazed by the clarity of the Northern Lights over many parts of the north of Scotland.

The pitch black winter night and cloudless skies made the phenomenon easier to spot, with coastal areas enjoying many of the best views.

The stunning sight was reported as being visible in the far north in communities including Thurso as well as on the Moray Firth coast and even in Aberdeen itself, despite the bright lights from the city.

But how do the Northern Lights work?

Known as the Aurora Borealis in the northern hemisphere, the lights occur when particles emitted by the sun react with the Earth’s magnetic field and atmosphere.

Different types of gas particles create different colours in the sky, which can range from greens, blues and purples to fiery reds and oranges.

Here are some of the best snaps of the Northern Lights over the north and north-east this weekend

Northern Lights from Wideford Hill, Orkney. Picture by Samuel Ramsay.

BOOOOOOM 🙂 perfect start in the new year! #aurora over #pennan best regards monika #auroraborealis #aurora…

Posted by Monika Focht on Saturday, 8 January 2022

MAJOR AURORA IN PROGRESS. DO NOT MISS THIS!!!21:00 GMT @ ISO 6400 F2.8 15s.

Posted by Glendale Skye Auroras on Saturday, 8 January 2022

Northern Lights at Pennan Bay. Picture by Fiona McRae of SunshineNshadows

Literally straight out the camera after a surprise aurora alert about an hour ago!I'm stayiong literally 10 minutes…

Posted by Michael Bryant – Scottish Photographer on Saturday, 8 January 2022

Northern lights tonight over Northeast Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Posted by Aberdeen Guardian on Saturday, 8 January 2022

😍 straight off my iPhone

Posted by Jenny Mc on Saturday, 8 January 2022

Did you catch a glimpse of the #northernlights last night? 🌟👀Typically a rarity for those of us surrounded by the…

Posted by Aberdeen Lifeboat RNLI on Sunday, 9 January 2022

Northern Lights in Longside, Aberdeenshire. Picture by Graeme Buchan.

Do you have any pictures of the stunning display? Send them to livenews@ajl.co.uk.