Aurora-watchers have been rewarded with a spectacular display of the Northern Lights in dark spots across the country.
The natural phenomenon was visible to the naked eye as far south as Devon on Wednesday night, due to a particularly strong solar flare.
Owen Humphreys, a PA news agency photographer, was treated to a stunning display of orange, pink and yellows in the sky above Derwentwater in the Lake District.
He said: "This was one of the best I have seen in the UK for years.
"The reds and the greens were really vibrant and makes up for all the times we go out in the middle of the night and don't see anything."
Aurora-watcher Julie Winn from Hexham, Northumberland, drove an hour into the Scottish Borders to find a dark patch of sky away from light pollution, and was delighted with what she saw.
She said: "It was better than I have seen for a long time, clearly visible to the naked eye, with subtle colours of pink and green above."
Miss Winn, a volunteer at the Kielder Observatory, explained the Aurora Borealis phenomenon was particularly strong as a large solar flare, known as a Coronal Mass Ejection, was detected last week bursting from the sun.
Particles from the flare interact with the Earth’s magnetic field, causing them to energise and create photons of light, she said.
She was unable to say if there would be a repeat performance on Thursday night, saying: "It’s so hard to predict.
"It might have fizzled out, it could come stronger."
