'Lucky' resident spotted northern lights over Daventry skies: ‘I was truly shocked’

The northern lights, or aurora borealis, appeared in the night sky across Britain last night.

A resident spotted the rare sight with his drone from his back garden in Daventry after an amber aurora alert was issued last night (Sunday, March 3).

Mike Hart, 39, a business owner from Daventry, said: “I quickly fired off a few shots on the drone. I was shocked when I uploaded the images to my computer to see that many of them had a little bit of the aurora visible but were mainly just showing the light pollution of the town and surrounding areas.

“But I was lucky enough to get a few images that show the haze. I was truly shocked that this little drone could capture this data.”

The aurora borealis was spotted all around the UK thanks to a clear forecast yesterday night.

The alert states: "Aurora is likely to be visible by eye from Scotland, northern England, and Northern Ireland; possibly visible from elsewhere in the UK.

"Photographs of the aurora are likely from anywhere in the UK."

Mike is the owner of IOVT (Inside Out Virtual Tours), a company that offers visual solutions, including virtual tours, aerial photography, and 3D modelling services.

He received the alert on his phone last night while watching television.

“I wondered if the drone would catch it, as I knew that by the time I got all my camera gear and travelled somewhere, the event would have passed. Due to being in a built-up area, I got my sub-250g drone (DJI Mini 3) and took off from the back garden.

“On the screen, there was nothing there for the first 15 images. Just as I was about to give up, I then saw a green haze appear on the horizon on the screen,” said Mike.

Take a look at the pictures below of the northern lights captured by Mike.

“I just wish I was set up with all my camera gear to get a better image with a longer exposure. There’s always next time,” said Mike.