Residents across the Isle of Man were treated to a spectacular display of the Northern Lights early Wednesday morning, with the aurora visible across much of the island for several hours.

The natural light show, caused by activity on the sun sending charged particles into the Earth’s atmosphere, lit up the skies in stunning shades of green, pink and purple.

Images shared on social media in the early hours of this morning showed the aurora clearly visible to the naked eye from locations across the island, including Peel, Douglas, Ramsey and the Mountain Road.

Local aurora expert Dave Corkish had earlier alerted islanders to the increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights, as space weather conditions indicated strong geomagnetic activity overnight.

Among those who ventured out to see the display was Craig Dalton, who made the trip up the Mountain Road to get a better view.

He said: ‘It was a little nippy on the Mountain Road at 3.30am this morning, but well worth it!’

Others captured the lights closer to home.

Nikki McPhilimey, from Peel, shared several striking images taken from her house.

She said: ‘Here are a few images taken from my house in Peel between 2am and 3am.

‘I had trouble sleeping and was looking out the window when I noticed the red hues – I used my phone and these amazing images came out.

‘First time I have seen the Northern Lights – a little silver lining from having a poor night’s kip!’

The phenomenon, officially known as the Aurora Borealis, is a relatively rare sight at this latitude, but clear skies and heightened solar activity made for perfect viewing conditions for islanders overnight.

There’s a chance that they could be visible again towards the end of the week.