Fantastic reader picture shows the Northern Lights display in Lancaster

The aurora borealis lit up the night skies across the UK, with hues of green and purple dancing across the skies.

Sean Howell was lucky enough to witness them and take this great picture from Grasmere Road in Lancaster.

"I got the notification that the aurora was active so I popped my camera out the window and managed to capture this image,” he said.

The natural light display is caused by charged particles from the Sun which interact with Earth’s magnetic field.

The colour display depends in part on what molecules the charged particles interact with.

Red and green colours tend to be hallmarks of oxygen, pink and red the signs of nitrogen with blue and purple being the results of hydrogen and helium.

Late September to mid-March is generally considered the best period for aurora sightings.

You can see more of Sean’s work on Instagram @Seanhowellphoto.