The glory of the aurora borealis, the magnificent northern lights, bathed much of the British Isles in their ethereal glow on Sunday night.

Night owls and stargazers enjoyed a glimpse of this rare spectacle due to high levels of magnetic activity, known as a geomagnetic storm.

Many sky-watchers get their northern lights intel from the alerts service AuroraWatch UK, which is run by scientists in the Space and Planetary Physics group at Lancaster University’s Department of Physics. 

The Leader podcast’s joined by Dr Maria Walach, a researcher in space plasma physics at Lancaster and a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, who shares what planetary wonder can still be enjoyed in urban night skies.

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