The 'Voyager' sculpture at Laytown beach, Co Meath last night James Grandfield James Grandfield

THE NORTHERN LIGHTS are brightening up the sky over parts of Ireland tonight. 

People have taken to social media to share photos of the dancing pink and green display across various corners of the country. 

Stargazers in Dublin, Meath, Wicklow, Cork, Mayo and Derry were able to capture the display over the last couple of hours. 

OMG it’s overhead and the colours East and West right now! pic.twitter.com/faSja4Sl8N

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) October 10, 2024

Think this is my favourite one #aurora #ireland pic.twitter.com/zXKY9oxVsA

— Patricia Devlin (@trishdevlin) October 10, 2024

The lights are also visible over parts of England, Scotland, Wales and mainland Europe.

Aurora borealis occurs as a result of charged particles from the sun launched along Earth’s magnetic field colliding with gases in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

The colour of the lights depends on the type of gas particles colliding.

The Northern Lights over Swords in Dublin.

The Northern Lights above Wicklow. Irene Breen Irene Breen

The Northern Lights are typically not visible this far south.

However, the spectacular phenomenon has been visible over Ireland several times already this year, with September being the last time stargazers were able to catch a glimpse of them.

The Northern Lights visible from the Hill of Tara. Lee Moffat Lee Moffat

#Auroraborealis at #Loughrea Rugby Club @loughrearfc pic.twitter.com/djdSzUif14

— Gillian Mc Namee (she/her) (@mcnameegill) October 10, 2024

Well worth the drive to the Shannon Estuary 😍#northernlights #northernlightsireland #ireland #auroraaustralis #aurora pic.twitter.com/gOSAJaQuSI

— Weather Alerts Ireland ⚡️☔️ (@IrelandAlerts) October 10, 2024

Because the cameras on our phones are more sensitive than human eyes, they can pick up the Northern Lights at times when they are not visible to the naked eye.

Thanks @LaoisWeather 👋
Great 📸 of our climate station in Co. Laois under the #northernlights tonight
Great views of it over Ireland and beyond under clear skies 🌚

Find out more about Northern Lights on our website 🎇👉 https://t.co/4FANhJBYAl https://t.co/rBL51RKuw2

— Met Éireann (@MetEireann) October 10, 2024

The Northern Lights over Wexford Aiden Kent Aiden Kent

The Northern Lights over Donegal Robyn Potts Robyn Potts