Stargazers who stayed up late on a Monday night were well rewarded yesterday, with a spectacular display of meteors backlit by the Northern Lights. The Perseid meteor shower happens every August, but it doesn’t always look like this. Clear, dark skies and the aurora borealis made it one to remember, with photographs from last night showing stunning scenes.
Ian Sproat, who took his camera out to rural Northumberland for the occasion, said: ‘What an evening, absolutely amazing. Managed to find myself a little church right out in the sticks, it was beautiful. ‘Lovely dark skies, and the aurora was clearly visible in the naked eye, unlike anything I’ve seen.
’ He said he was taken by surprise by the strength of the ‘magical’ aurora, saying it reminded him of the ‘one in a lifetime kind of show’ when the UK saw the lights strongly on May 10. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser that supports HTML5video Video: Yorkshire treated to breathtaking combo of Northern lights and Perseid meteor shower The aurora borealis dazzled sky watchers in Northern England alongside the Perseid meteor shower. Read the full story » Many were already staying up late for the Perseids, which give more notice of their arrival, always peaking around August 12 during an active period between July 17 and August 24.
Up to 100 meteors an hour were expected, as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust – and there is still a chance of see.