Northern Lights dazzle sky gazers across region

The Northern Lights have lit up large parts of the East Midlands with a spectacular display.

Although a regular sight further north, it is rare to get such an extensive show so far south.

They could be seen after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms since 2003 hit Earth, with a rare solar storm warning issued.

Enthusiasts and passers-by captured purple, green and blue lights dancing in the sky at around midnight.

Astronomer Eleanor MacDonald, said the storm could create knock-on effects.

She said: "What has caused this is five mass coronal ejections from our sun.

"So these are pockets of plasma that our sun has essentially spat out and they have started to hit us today.

"And with a big pocket of high energy particles, they can interfere with anything that is electrical.

"So satellites can experience outages which can have an effect on GPS and internet communications."

Experts have said if you missed last night's display, there might be another chance to see it this evening.

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