Birmingham residents were dazzled on Thursday evening, as a mysterious pink glow lit up the night’s sky.
As heavy snowfall covered much of the region, many wondered if Storm Goretti was causing the phenomenon.
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What caused the pink glow in Birmingham?
Users speculated on social media whether it was the storm, an unusually vivid sunset or even the Northern Lights causing the sky to dazzle.
As it turned out, the real reason was a lot closer to home.
The actual source was St Andrew’s, Birmingham City’s football ground, where LED lights were being used on the pitch.
The club uses the lamps to help the grass on the pitch recover faster, especially when wet weather makes it more vulnerable to damage.
Pictures taken in locations closer to St Andrew’s all show a brighter pink in the sky, with its brightest points all in the direction of the stadium.
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Particles in snow and thick clouds are much more reflective and refractive than those in the air during normal weather.
BBC weather presenter Simon King said: “Atmospheric conditions with low cloud and even during snow, can make the sky a little more reflective and show a glow of street lighting, buildings and even purple lights from football stadiums.”
Another football club, Hednesford Town in Staffordshire, posted on social media that its own pitch lights caused the same effect earlier this week, joking that the lamps were ‘keeping us ready to chase three points, not the aurora’.