The Northern Lights were visible to stargazers across Stirling for two evenings in a row this week.
The spectacular natural phenomenon lit up the skies on Sunday and Monday.
The Met Office forecast the aurora borealis could also have been visible last night (Tuesday), although warned that cloudy skies would limit those who get a second chance to witness it.
The head of space weather at the Met Office, Mark Gibbs, said: “The aurora will continue tonight (Tuesday), but with cloudy skies across much of the UK it may be too optimistic to expect clear sightings two nights in a row.
“Last night’s sighting saw the coincidence of perfect conditions, making the aurora visible on the north horizon in the south of England.
“If you have a clear sky tonight, head out around midnight and have a look, but it is most likely to be visible from the west coast of Scotland.”
The activity seen was the result of a solar storm, which Mr Gibbs added was not unusual for this point in the solar cycle.
“What we saw yesterday was a bubble of magnetised plasma particles that had come off the sun, and they happened to be heading towards the Earth in this instance,” he said.
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“It took about two days for those particles to arrive from the sun, then the particles enter the Earth’s upper atmosphere and excite atoms.
“The most common sight is green, which is the result of oxygen atoms being excited. Last night we saw some reds and purples, indicative of nitrogen atoms being excited.”
He said amateur photographers stand their best chance of capturing the aurora if they are in the north of the country, but “the most important thing is spotting a clear sky”.
Keen photographers flocked to secluded areas in an attempt to snap the lights.
Caroline Cooper captured stunning shots of the borealis over her home in Kippen. She captured the sights using her iPhone 13 Pro using night mode. She said: “It was incredible to see!
“We got out of the car at the house at about 8.30pm and I could see it beginning, looking over the back of our house towards the Trossachs. I couldn’t believe it!
“By 9pm the sky was incredible!”
Photographer Gordon Dewar also snapped the stunning sight, glowing over the Ochils. He added: “I knew to look for it. I have been taking picture of it for years, but last night I couldn’t get out and about so just took the images from my bedroom window.”
It’s understood that scores of motorists flocked to the David Stirling Memorial, near Doune.
Concerns were raised that drivers were leaving their vehicles parked on verges and on dark country roads. Inspector Andy Bushell from Police Scotland said that they received a single call regarding parked vehicles at the David Stirling Memorial. The area was checked and given attention, however no formal police action was taken.
Photographer Charles McGuigan was one of those fortunate enough to snap a breathtaking shot of the lights over the statue.
- Did you capture shots of the Northern Lights this week? We’d love to feature them in the pages of the Stirling Observer. Simply send your photos, along with some details about when and where it was taken, to Chris.Marzella@reachplc.com.
