Dazzling Northern Lights over Laois tonight

THE spectacular Northern Lights are visible over parts of Laois tonight.

A massive solar flare on Sunday has resulted in stunning sights for skygazers across the midlands and as far south as Laois and Carlow.

Abbeyleix is among the areas enjoying a dazzling display, with residents sharing photos – including the above by Cliona O'Connell - on the town’s community Facebook page.

The extraordinary shimmering colours of the Aurora Borealis are also delighting residents around Portlaoise, Mountmellick, Stradbally, the Slieve Blooms and other areas across the county.  

Many are sharing spectacular images on the Laois Weather social media site. 

To see the lights at their best, Met Éireann advises that people should find a dark location with no light pollution, look towards the northern horizon and opt for when cloud cover is at its thinnest.

The national forecaster explains that the lights are the results of collisions between gas particles in our atmosphere and charged particles ejected from the sun’s atmosphere.

The colour of the Northern Lights changes due to the type of gas particles that are colliding, with blue or purple auroras indicating the presence of nitrogen molecules.

Readers are welcome to share their own photos in our comments section.