Manx photographers wowed by 'kaleidoscope of colours'

Manx photographers wowed by 'kaleidoscope of colours'

Richard Baker - Isle of Man

Tue, January 20, 2026 at 6:39 PM UTC

2 min read

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Landscape shot of the northern lights from the Point of Ayre. A lighthouse can be seen looking over the coast whilst the sky is lit in bright pinks, greens and purple. — Amateur photographer Nigel Fairclough captured the Aurora Borealis from the Point of Ayre [Nigel Fairclough]

Photographers on the Isle of Man have captured one of the strongest recent displays of the Northern Lights.

Nigel Fairclough, who lives near the Point of Ayre, has taken several snaps of the Northern Lights throughout the year as part of his hobby.

He took photos of the display on Monday and said: "I was watching it dance above my head, it was too mesmerising to take photographs of it all the time."

Kirsty Pendlebury from Ronaldsway Met Office said the lack of cloud that evening meant conditions were good to see the spectacle, particularly in the north of the island.

Landscape shot of the northern lights from the Point of Ayre. The lighthouse, painted red and white, sits under a bright red, yellow and blue sky. — Point of Ayre, the northern-most tip of the Isle of Man, last night dazzling under the light [Nigel Fairclough]

Mr Fairclough said: "When you're taking a photograph, you sometimes miss the moment, you've just got to stand there and go 'wow', that's what I was doing last night.

"The colours change in front of your eyes, a kaleidoscope of colours, it was magical - that's the only word to describe it.

"I just like being out there under the stars, I couldn't believe I was out there on my own."

Landscape shot of the Northern Lights taken from a field. The sky is dark red bursting into bright green and yellow. — Alan Kneen's photograph of the Northern Lights stretching over the island [Alan Kneen]

The display comes during a period of high solar activity, called solar maximum, during the sun's 21-year cycle.

Pendlebury said the Aurora Borealis has been seen on the island several times before, but its visibility to those on land depends on clear skies and a forecasted high solar activity.

"This was the case for more northern parts of the island during the evening, before a weather front brought cloudier skies and outbreaks of rain which limited the potential to view them."

Point of Ayre's Lighthouse, or 'The Winkie' and the Fog Horn last night amongst the Northern Lights. The sky is green and pale red. — Point of Ayre's Lighthouse, or 'The Winkie' and the Fog Horn last night [Nigel Fairclough]

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Manx photographers wowed by 'kaleidoscope of colours'

Manx photographers wowed by 'kaleidoscope of colours'

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