// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
Northern Lights stun UK down to England's south coast
Kendal in Cumbria paid host to the breathtaking scenes on Saturday
Residents across the UK were left stunned as the sky was illuminated by the spectacular colours of the Northern Lights on Friday and Saturday evenings.
The natural phenomenon, known as the Aurora Borealis, is the result of increased solar activity.
Such occurrences are mostly visible near the Arctic Circle and northern Scotland, but particularly strong activity levels meant they could be seen as far south as Devon, Hampshire and Kent on Saturday night.
The Met Office has said sightings could continue to be possible during clear skies until Tuesday.
The phenomenon was visible as a pink haze in Winterton-on-Sea, Norfolk, on Friday
Owston Ferry in North Lincolnshire was graced by a stunning purple haze
Northern Lights are caused by powerful solar eruptions from the Sun, called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).
Towards the end of last week, the Sun was observed to unleash CMEs directed towards the Earth.
This stream of charged particles can get captured by the Earth's magnetic field and directed into our atmosphere, especially towards polar regions.