The Northern Lights

Stunning images of the  Aurora Borealis are flooding the internet t recently, many from Scotland.
 
But I have yet to see them so I am indebted to my  friend living two miles away for  capturing this striking image in Bridge of Allan.
( We had too much cloud overhead ).
 
What causes this magical light show?   Our ancestors thought it had mystical significance, now we know its caused by electrically charged particles that are released by the Sun and travel 150 million kilometres across space to the Earth.