The aurora borealis above Bamburgh Lighthouse in Northumberland. Pic: PA
© PAThe aurora borealis above Bamburgh Lighthouse in Northumberland, UK.
Auroras danced across northern skies overnight as Earth's magnetic field underwent G3 (strong) geomagnetic storming.

The culprit: a potent one-two punch of recent coronal mass ejection (CME) arrivals plus the onset of a fast solar wind stream soaring toward Earth from a large coronal hole.

As charged particles poured into Earth's upper atmosphere, vivid auroral displays became visible from mid-latitude locations as far south as New York, London and northern France.

The storm is now easing, but forecasters still expect periods of G1 - G2 (minor - moderate) storming through today, keeping aurora watchers busy for at least another night.