One Offaly photographer was lucky enough to get his second picture of such an event.
The magic of cameras and a ten second timer are behind a beautiful shot of the Northern Lights in the midlands.
The aurora borealis made a surprise appearance last weekend, lighting up the sky in Offaly and across other parts of the country.
Tullamore photographer Tom O'Hanlon captured the shot at the Lough Boora Discovery Park on Sunday evening that shows off the rare occurrence, which is the second time he has done so in the region.
He says as soon as he got the alert, he grabbed his equipment and headed straight off to get the perfect picture: