You’d usually have to travel hella north to destinations like Iceland to catch a glimpse of the northern lights – aka aurora borealis. But English stargazers as far south as Cornwall have spotted the phenomenon recently thanks to clear skies and intense solar activity. The multi-coloured light display occurs when the Sun emits particles that interact with molecules in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, creating a glowing effect. The Earth’s magnetic field usually directs those particles to the north and south poles – which is why the phenomenon is a feature there – but once every decade or so, it becomes visible further south. As the name suggests, the northern lights are only visible in the northern hemisphere, but over the past week, the southern hemisphere’s version of the phenomenon – the aurora australis – has been putting on a show of its own with some lucky Western Aussies reaping the benefits.