3 amazing pictures captured Northern Lights over Leeds skies in 'magnificent display'

Northern lights occur as a result of solar activity, caused by the collision of particles in the wind with molecules in the Earth's atmosphere. The night sky phenomenon is rare, however this weekend Leeds residents were able to capture photos as the sky lit up in shades of blue, green and yellow.

Brin Best from Otley caught a gimpse of the lights and told the YEP: “We had a magnificent display of the Northern Lights over Otley tonight. I took this photo out of our bathroom window at about 11.30pm. It was an 8 second smartphone exposure. The colours were not as bright with the naked eye but you could still see the glow and pillars of light with your eye. This was the best display I've seen in our 28 years living in Otley.”

Vish Patel also managed to snap a photo or two of the display. In the pictures submitted, green and blue lights fill the sky in gorgeous technicolour.

Also known as the ‘aurora borealis’, the northern lights were last spotted in Leeds in February, with the spectacle most intense in parts of Scotland and northern England.

The Met Office has issued advice for people wanting to see the lights again during April, stating that the phenomenon is “best viewed away from any light pollution, in remote areas, facing the northern horizon - north facing coasts produce some of the best viewing locations."