The Northern Lights could be seen over Oxfordshire last night and this morning.

Stargazers in the county were on high alert after it was revealed they could well catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, this week.

AuroraWatch UK issued a red alert to indicate that a sighting may be possible all over the UK in the early hours of Tuesday morning including in Oxfordshire.

The most likely times were said to be after midnight, between 3am and 8am as well as just after 11am according to the website.

READ MORE: Here’s when you can see Northern Lights in Oxfordshire

The lights at local beauty spot Port Meadow in Oxford. (Image: Antony Steele)

Local photographers outdid themselves by capturing some wonderful shots of the Northern Lights across the county.

Amongst the snaps were shots from places including Port Meadow and Botley with the colourful phenomenon up above.

The northern lights generally appear in high-latitude regions such as the Arctic or Scandinavia.

Their colourful glow is caused by a stream of charged particles that have escaped the sun (known as solar wind) interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.

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The particles hit our atmosphere at high speed and combine with oxygen and nitrogen to create a multicoloured burst.

A green glow is associated with oxygen while nitrogen causes the appearance of purple, blue and pink.

Southern areas of Scotland, England and Wales are also sometimes able to catch sight of the aurora, though typically only in rural areas with little light pollution.

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