THE Northern Lights made a rare appearance last night - with many people capturing the stunning sight in Herefordshire.
Excited onlookers shared pictures of the lights, also known as aurora borealis, which was visible from about 11.30pm on Friday (May 10).
It was one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years to hit Earth, with the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issuing a rare solar storm warning.
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If you didn't get to see the rare phenomenon, there is a slight chance you could get a glimpse tonight (May 11), although it will be on a much reduced scale, with northern parts of the UK getting the best view.
Your pictures
Hereford
Northern Lights in Hereford (Image: Fern Pinwell)
An excited Alby Bibin watching the lights in Hereford (Image: Alby Bibin)
Olivia McCabe snapped this photo in Hereford (Image: Olivia McCabe)
Nathan Hodges saw the lights from near Hereford Livestock Market (Image: Nathan Hodges)
Lisa Sullivan captured the moment in Bobblestock, Hereford (Image: Lisa Sullivan)
The Northern Lights seen from Tupsley, Hereford (Image: Andrew Jones)
Leominster
The Northern Lights in Leominster (Image: Richard Boho)
Stoke Lacy
A stunning photo near Stoke Lacy (Image: Laura French Jones)
Laura Lowe showed what seeing the Northern Lights meant to her (Image: Laura Lowe)
Pembridge
The Northern Lights in Pembridge (Image: Natassja Guinsberg)
Moreton Jeffries
A stunning photo of the northern lights in Moreton Jeffries (Image: Julia Lewis)
Breinton
Lorne Wilden saw the Auroro Borealis for the first time from Breinton Springs footpath (Image: Lorne Wilden)
Dinedor
Gabriel Nascimento took this photo in Dinedor (Image: Gabriel Nascimento)
Brockhampton
The Northern Lights in Brockhampton (Image: Paula Lewis)
Bromyard
The Northern Lights in Bromyard (Image: Lisa Denton)
Kington
A beautiful red colour descended over Hergest Croft Gardens in Kington (Image: Sarah Morgan)
Kings Caple
The Northern Lights in Kings Caple (Image: Sophie Hannah)
Lea
This was taken in Lea, near Ross-on-Wye (Image: Alex Lea Rohan)
Moccas
The stunning Northern Lights in Moccas, in the Golden Valley (Image: Julia)
What are the Northern Lights?
The Northern Lights - or aurora borealis - appear as bright, swirling curtains of lights in the night sky and range in colour from green to pink and scarlet.
It is caused by charged particles from the sun hitting gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
The colours occur due to different gases in the Earth's atmosphere being energised by the charged particles.
The two most common gases in the Earth's atmosphere are nitrogen and oxygen. Oxygen atoms glow green - the colour most often seen in the Northern Lights, while nitrogen atoms emit purple, blue and pink.
The most impressive auroras occur when the Sun emits really large clouds of particles called "coronal mass ejections".
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