The Northern Lights put on a spectacular display across Leicestershire on New Year’s Day, with the natural phenomenon visible across several parts of the county. The celestial light show was spotted in multiple locations including Loughborough, Glenfield and Bosworth.
The aurora was visible from around 6.45pm on Wednesday (January 1), though activity reportedly died down as cloud cover increased. Sky-watchers across the East Midlands were treated to the rare astronomical display as 2025 got underway.
Nature enthusiast Matt Cross managed to capture the ethereal lights on camera from his vantage point in Stonebow Washlands, Loughborough. The 51-year-old used specialist equipment to document the phenomenon.
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“I’ve have an app that alerts me to aurora activity and I’d seen other people’s photos on social media so thought I’d go out and take a look,” said Mr Cross. “I could just see them with the naked eye, but not like in the photos.”
Mr Cross, who photographed the aurora using a 360-degree camera with long exposure settings, described the experience as exciting. “It is one of nature’s most amazing shows,” he added.
“Activity died down and it clouded over not long after so it wasn’t the best night for it,” Mr Cross revealed. The photographer said his experience photographing the Northern Lights in Iceland last year helped him capture the Leicestershire display.
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