article: Spectacular photographs of the solar phenomenon have been shared around the world, but how do you know when it's going to appear and how do you capture it for posterity? Grabbing that perfect shot of the lights is a combination of luck, timing and a bit of know-how, according to David Costley, a keen amateur photographer who took a time-lapse video of the skies above the medieval ruins of Dunluce Castle on the north coast of County Antrim. "It's really about timing, making sure the clouds are clear and that there's no light pollution," he says. "That's why Dunluce is such a good place - you've got a direct view north and it's good to get that clear line of sight." He says he has seen people take good shots of the lights using just their mobile phone camera, but better equipment is needed to get the best results. "In terms of equipment, any DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera will do with eight-second exposure settings to get the nice detailed structures in the aurora," he says. "Because it's moving, if you have any longer exposure it all becomes one big green blur so it's good to get a short exposure and put the sensitivity settings up as high as you can." Images of the light show along the north coast have travelled around the world, according to Eoin McConnell, a tourism ranger who was one of many amateur photographers chasing a glimpse of the aurora. "The photos have gone mad on the internet, which is good as it promotes tourism here which is why I do it - Discover NI and Tourism Ireland retweeted and shared them so they have gone worldwide," he says. "You need a tripod to take aurora photos as you can't hold a camera steady enough for the long exposure. "You also need plenty of practice, as night photography is quite tricky - it's hard to focus on anything in the dark." It's not just the hardened aurora chasers who managed to get great photos of the Northern Lights at Dunluce Castle, according to Maureen Kane, who says she has only begun learning about night photography. "When the lights started to dance, so did I - it was just amazing to watch," she says. How the Aurora Borealis occurs The Northern Lights are caused by the interaction of the solar wind - a stream of charged particles escaping the Sun - and our planet's magnetic field and atmosphere. Find out more While the phenomenon is not a new one, social media and websites devoted to forecasting its intermittent appearances have made it easier than ever before to experience the light show close to home. Ronan McLaughlin says he set up the Aurora Alert Ireland Twitter account (@Aurora_ireland) because there was a lot of misinformation on the internet. A veteran aurora-spotter, he is from the most northerly point in Ireland, Malin Head in County Donegal, and first saw the lights in 1988 when he was aged 12. "I remember when I wrote an article in 1994 for a
summary: The Aurora Borealis - better known as the Northern Lights - have once again been providing a light show above the skies of Northern Ireland.