New Year's Day Northern Lights dazzle Scotland as aurora puts on incredible display
From Hamilton to the Highlands, Scots who were delighted to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights on January 1 shared their gorgeous photos of the spectacle with the Record
Scots were treated to a Northern Lights show on New Year's Day, as the aurora borealis put on an incredible display across the country. The awe-inspiring spectacle lit up the night sky on January 1, marking a very happy new year indeed.
Locals from Ayrshire to Argyll & Bute were treated to a ethereal lightshow on their very doorstep as the "once in a decade" Northern Lights visited Scotland thanks to a rare solar event.
NASA recently announced that the sun has reached "solar maximum" which is when solar flares and other activity are at their highest. This could continue for the next year and keep the aurora lighting up the Scottish skies.
A Met Office spokesperson said: "There will likely be further chances of aurora visibility in the UK in the coming months". If you are looking to capture the Northern Lights as an amateur, shooting in RAW and night mode on an iPhone is the best way to capture them in the evening.
People from north to south shared their astounding photos of the purple, green, and pink swirls with the Record.
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The breathtaking colours in the sky, seen here over Girvan in Ayrshire, are the result of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which occur when solar particles enter Earth's atmosphere.
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Dmitrius Rumiancev snapped a shot of the Northern Lights over South Queensferry
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The lights have been appearing more frequently in parts of Scotland where they are not usually seen. Iain Jones didn't need to venture far - he captured this impressive shot from his home in Hamilton, North Lanarkshire
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Carrick Castle, Argyll & Bute, looked even more stunning than usual when cascaded in deep purple and pink
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