With the days shrinking and darkness descending on the northern hemisphere, now is the time for the most dazzling displays of the northern lights.
The likelihood of spotting the phenomenon has increased as the sun approaches the peak in its 11-year cycle. Every 11 years, the sun's poles reverse, causing bursts of solar activity resulting in northern lights. Scientists predict the next solar maximum will occur at the end of 2024, meaning the next few years will be a time for the lights to shine.
The Met Office says the northern lights occur "as a consequence of solar activity" and "result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere".
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