The north and north-east were treated to nature’s most famous lightshow over the weekend as the Northern Lights lit up the sky.
Due to Scotland’s position close to Arctic with the Shetland Islands closer to the Arctic Circle than they are to London, residents benefit from the ultimate illuminations.
The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, are actually caused by a phenomenon millions of miles away on the surface of the Sun.
A reaction between electrically-charged particle leads to solar flares and make their way to Earth.
The distinctive look is caused when the particles collide with Earth’s magnetic field which shoots them to the poles.
This is why only the North and South Poles regularly see this process which is known as excitation.
Aberdeenshire resident, Mikey Rennie, was able to capture the Northern Lights when he ventured out at around 9pm on January 8 to a field down from his home in Lonmay near Crimond.
The colours were faint at first when Mr Rennie first set up his equipment but gradually grew stronger and more vibrant as time passed.
He was able to capture some incredible images before the Lights began to fade at around midnight.
Mr Rennie commented that they were “stronger with more columns” and that they were the best he’d seen in quite a while.
Here are some other photographs from social media documenting the illuminations:
The Northern Lights, last night, Scotland… pic.twitter.com/l7LctfS9Tn
— Enigma 🏴🇬🇧🏌️♂️ (@Enigma68701983) January 9, 2022
Aurora image from Stonehaven this evening
Simply stunning sky's pic.twitter.com/JIVwZuLWVS— THE BLACK SALTIRE#FBSI (@80_mcswan) January 9, 2022
This was the view last night from the north coast of Scotland. One of the best shows I've seen! #Northernlights #Auroraborealis pic.twitter.com/3j6rIvZTEH
— Sam Langlois (@Naturalist_Sam) January 9, 2022
I saw the northern lights for the first time last night in the Cairngorms! It was completely unexpected so I didn’t have my ‘proper’ camera but it was absolutely stunning 🤩🏔 pic.twitter.com/KoS8i3e5sI
— Megan McCubbin (@MeganMcCubbin) January 9, 2022