A Burnley photographer has taken a stunning picture of the Northern Lights as they shone over Lancashire this week.

Dave Lawrence, an astronomer and photographer from Burnley, didn’t need to fly to Antarctica to see them as he managed to captured the stunning picture and video in Lancashire earlier this week.

Dave said: “There was a lot of buzz around a big solar flare last week, that was predicted to hit over Halloween weekend and provide the strongest aurora in years.

“People compared it to a famous event over Halloween back in 2003, where the lights were spotted as far South as Devon.

“Determined not to miss it, I spent the weekend in the darker skies of the Yorkshire Dales, only for the aurora to change its mind in the final moments and give us nothing.”

Undeterred, Dave ventured back home to try and spot the aurora in his home town on Wednesday evening (3 November).

Lancashire Telegraph: Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, over Pendle Hill (Photo: Dave Lawrence)Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, over Pendle Hill (Photo: Dave Lawrence)

He said: “I was already in bed by 9:30pm when suddenly my phone started pinging with alerts of a strong aurora in progress.

“I started daydreaming of the possibility of capturing the faintest green glow next to Pendle Hill but determined even that was a long shot due to light pollution and our low latitude.

“Something compelled me to get dressed, pack my camera and go around the corner of my house where I have a distant view of Pendle Hill.

“What greeted me was something I never thought possible. Not only was the green glow present on the horizon, but big red and pink light pillars directly above.”

Unfortunately, Dave caught the tail end of the aurora show just as the clouds were coming in.

However, he did manage to capture the final remnants of the light in a photo and timelapse video - as well as a surprise meteor shower.

He added: “I was rewarded with a meteor afterwards. Towards the end of the video you see a plane zip from right to left, then a satellite move from north to south, followed by a quick meteor that enters above the clouds to the left.”

You can view more pictures and videos on Dave’s photography Facebook page.

 

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