Star-gazers were treated to amazing display of the Aurora Borealis as cosmic conditions aligned.iStock

Due to a “lucky combination” of conditions, star-gazers in Northern Ireland, and even as far south as Dublin, were treated to amazing display of the Northern Lights last night.

The Aurora Borealis painted the night sky shades of green, purple and blue on Sunday night. The amazing display is caused by charged solar particles interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. Usually it is only visible as far south as Scotland.

An expert from the United Kingdom Met Office, Amanda Townsend said, “Once in a while the solar winds are enhanced to levels stronger than normal, with particles at higher speeds, and on this occasion it has connected really well with the Earth’s magnetic field.”

In addition to the cosmos aligning to create the display, the skies were also clear last night, allowing for a spectacular show for those looking up on Sunday night, through to Monday morning.

Townsend said “The strongest part of the geomagnetic storm has passed and it probably won’t be as strong on Monday night, so the main places to see the aurora will be in north Scotland.”