Northern Lights put on spectacular show over Cairngorms
The Cairngorms have been treated to a brief glimpse of one of nature’s most spectacular shows – but for those who missed it, fortunately help was at hand.
Photographer Peter Diender’s patience paid off when he captured stunning images of the Northern Lights from the Coire Cas car park CairnGorm Mountain just before midnight on a chilly but clear Thursday evening.
Peter (45), who lives in Aviemore, said: "This was the fourth time in the last few months that I had gone out hoping to catch the Aurora Borealis.
"On previous occasions it either didn’t happen or it was too cloudy, but this time it looked promising.
"There was a lot less cloud, and it was forecast that there was a good chance of seeing the lights further south.
"I arrived at 8pm, and most of the night all I could see was just a faint green glow in the distance.
"But my patience paid off, and at about 11.30pm the show began.
"It only lasted for about 15 minutes; it was short but sweet, and certainly worth the wait."
Peter, who also works at Cairngorm Mountain Sport in his home village, said: "Once they started properly, the various colours were really clearly visible.
"I managed to get quite a few nice shots, and the reaction to them has been amazing – so much so that I am busy organising to get them printed and framed, and soon some of them will be on show at the Mountain Cafe in Aviemore."
Peter usually takes photographs on the slopes at CairnGorm Mountain at this time of year for his own business, www.action-heroes.co.uk, catching skiers and snowboarders in action.
He said he had been keeping a close eye on the various Aurora Borealis forecast websites until he hit the jackpot on Thursday. He managed to capture nearly 30 photographs of the dancing orange, red, green and purple lights over Loch Morlich.
Peter told the ‘Strathy’: "I’ve always wanted to capture the Northern Lights on camera, but until now I had been out of luck. The forecasts can change quickly, a bit like the Scottish weather.
"I think I have seen them once before, but that was many years ago walking home late one night from a party – so I could be wrong!"
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An increase in solar storms is predicted until the middle of 2013, and this means skywatchers will have a better chance of spotting the Northern Lights further south than normal.
The Aurora Borealis are rarely seen in Britain, and normally appear above the likes of Canada, Alaska, Iceland and Norway, but are currently being seen further south due to the solar activity.
Auroras occur when charged particles from the sun interact with the Earth’s upper atmosphere, releasing visible light in the process.
The particles are funnelled towards Earth’s polar regions by the planet’s magnetic field. The glow is caused by high-energy electrons colliding with oxygen atoms and nitrogen molecules.
