Northern lights visible over the UK for the second night

The northern lights could be seen in the UK for a second night on Monday after perfect conditions 24 hours earlier saw them visible as far south as Cornwall.

Northern Scotland was the best place to catch the phenomenon overnight, as cloudy skies prevented some keen stargazers in England’s south from getting a second glimpse.

Those lucky enough to catch the natural light display have been posting their pictures on social media.

The northern lights occur as a consequence of solar activity and result from collisions of charged particles in the solar wind colliding with molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

The best conditions to catch a glimpse of the lights is a dark and cloudless sky, as clouds cover and block the light.

Areas away from light pollution, facing the northern horizon, produce some of the best viewing locations.

According to the Met Office there is a chance that some people may be able to catch the lights for a third night in a row.

The forecast said: "Recent geomagnetic activity is expected to ease during 28 February, however further minor geomagnetic storms remaining possible, and perhaps early on 1st March.

"Limited aurora to the far north of Scotland or similar latitudes, but not as far south or as intense as on the previous nights. Activity then easing further with the aurora fading to background levels."