It was a treat for stargazers.

The skies over Cork were illuminated by the aurora borealis last night, with stunning displays captured by delighted photographers all over the county.

The Northern Lights are most commonly seen in countries near the Arctic Circle, such as Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Canada. However, under certain conditions, they can also be observed in more southerly locations.

Louise Barker captured these beautiful shots in West Cork:

Northern lights in west Cork tonight pic.twitter.com/vx8Qzed0yh

— Louise Barker (@louisecbarker) October 10, 2024

These spectacular displays of light are caused by collisions between charged particles from the sun (solar wind) and the Earth’s atmosphere. The different gases in our atmosphere interact with these particles, producing various colours like green, red, blue, and purple.

Northern lights in Cork tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/W6KeQmIHDe

— James Kelly (@jameskellyecom) October 10, 2024

Northern Lights over Watergrasshill, Co Cork, Ireland last night pic.twitter.com/0L4NzIc23i

— KristinRoss (@KSarahTez) October 11, 2024

Aurora Borealis from the Old Head, Cork. #Auroraborealis #Ireland #northernlights pic.twitter.com/68KxyQLaLH

— Niall Hurley (@NiallHurley13) October 10, 2024

#northernlights Glanmire, Cork. Something special pic.twitter.com/pt5hVnaxFp

— Ciara Nolan (@CNiNuall) October 10, 2024

Back here on Earth, it will be cold to begin today with any frost and mist clearing in the morning. The rest of the day will be mainly dry with sunny spells and highest temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we can expect sunny spells with showers developing by afternoon, clearing through the evening and highest temperatures of 10 to 13 degrees, with outbreaks of rain and drizzle likely on Sunday afternoon.