The Northern Lights were spotted across Oxfordshire last night including iconic Oxford landmarks.

Stargazers across the country have been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, several times already in 2024.

A red alert was issued back in August by AuroaWatch UK to indicate that a sighting was possible all over the UK and another red alert was issued on Tuesday, October 8.

But the Northern Lights were arguably at their most visible last night (Thursday, October 10) and early this morning (Friday, October 11).

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The Northern Lights at Port Meadow.The Northern Lights at Port Meadow. (Image: Antony Steele)

Photos have poured in across the UK of the colourful phenomena being spotted with Oxfordshire being no exception.

Some of the most impressive came from Marisa Gillett who managed to capture some sensational pictures of the lights above Oxford.

These included some of the city’s most iconic landmarks such as Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera and the Bridge of Sighs.

Elsewhere the lights were seen in Oxford, Bicester, Banbury, Abingdon, Woodstock, Witney, Didcot, Wallingford and Chipping Norton as well as other areas of the county.

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The Northern Lights generally appear in high-latitude regions such as the Arctic or Scandinavia. 

Their colourful glow is caused by a stream of charged particles that have escaped the sun (known as solar wind) interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.

The particles hit our atmosphere at high speed and combine with oxygen and nitrogen to create a multicoloured burst.

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