Cars queued to see Northern Lights at Whitley Bay

Countless people flocked to the North East on Friday evening - which saw cars queued on roads around Whitley Bay, County Durham, and Northumberland. 

People watched on as the skies lit up with green and purple hues, as they took in the rare phenomenon. 

In images captured by North News, people were seen with their cameras, capturing the natural piece of beauty in the sky.

Here's some of the images from Friday:

Pictures: NORTH NEWS.

Also known as aurora borealis, the bands of pink and green light were seen across the UK and in parts of Europe after an “extreme” geomagnetic storm caused them to be more visible, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

While people may feel like they've missed out - the Northern Lights might be visible in northern parts of the UK again on Saturday.

Chris Snell, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said there were sightings “from top to tail across the country”.

He said: “It is hard to fully predict what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere, but there will still be enhanced solar activity tonight, so the lights could be visible again in northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and the far north of England.”

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Mr Snell said there were sightings in parts of Europe on Friday night as well, with the Met Office receiving pictures and information from locations including Prague and Barcelona.

He advised those hoping to see the lights on Saturday to head to an area with low light pollution and to use a good camera, adding: “The best chance you have of seeing the lights is if you are away from street lights and areas with lots of light pollution, as any type of light does have a big effect.”

“Also, at this time of year, we are fighting the shorter length of nights, so it is unlikely that they will be visible until around 10.30pm or 11 o’clock when it gets really dark.”