Local photographer captures spectacular Northern Lights scene

A talented local photographer captured this spectacular image of last night’s Northern Lights which were visible over Donegal.

Proinsias Carr used the aurora as a backdrop at the Mulroy Bay, near Milford.

Scores of Donegal skywatchers got a treat last night as the dancing lights only appear when geomagnetic storms occur.

Geomagnetic storms are disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field that can result in many hours of vibrant auroras both at high latitudes and low latitudes.

While scientists cannot predict precisely when a storm will occur, it is possible to predict when a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) or high speed solar wind stream will sweep past Earth’s magnetic field, creating the conditions that cause geomagnetic storms.