A falling star shower was forecast for Tuesday night. Anyone who stopped to watch it was rewarded with the northern lights in some places.
1 / 5The Perseids were announced for the night of August 12 to 13. The shooting star rain should also be seen in Bavaria. Anyone who stayed awake must have experienced a surprise: the northern lights also appeared, such as here in the Weissenburg-Gunzenhausen district in Middle Franconia. © Vifogra / Goppelt
![The night of shooting stars turns into a spectacle of the northern lights – a play of colors in the sky The night of shooting stars turns into a spectacle of the northern lights – a play of colors in the sky](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/35/332/35332720-sternschnuppen-nacht-wird-zum-polarlichtspektakel-RwBG.jpg)
2 / 5The strong northern lights repeatedly painted the sky with colourful flashes, including in the Lichtenfels district in Upper Franconia. © NEWS5 / Ferdinand Merzbach
![Shooting Star Night becomes a spectacle of the northern lights](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/35/332/35332722-sternschnuppen-nacht-wird-zum-polarlichtspektakel-P5BG.jpg)
3 / 5The purple color of the night sky can be seen even from a distance. © NEWS5 / Ferdinand Merzbach
![Natural spectacle over Bavaria: Shooting star night becomes a spectacular view of the northern lights](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/35/332/35332731-naturspektakel-ueber-bayern-sternschnuppen-nacht-wird-zum-polarlichtspektakel-PEBG.jpg)
4 / 5The northern lights are also called the aurora borealis. They are produced when small, charged particles are ejected from the sun during an explosion, causing our aurora to glow, according to ARD Alpha. © NEWS5 / Stefan Frick
![Natural spectacle over Bavaria: Shooting star night becomes a spectacular view of the northern lights](https://www.merkur.de/assets/images/35/332/35332725-naturspektakel-ueber-bayern-sternschnuppen-nacht-wird-zum-polarlichtspektakel-PABG.jpg)
5 / 5Many night owls probably stayed awake to see the originally announced shower of shooting stars: “You need a good all-round view. The darker the sky, the better,” said Bernhard Buchner, head of the Bavarian observatory. So it’s hard to stay in the middle of the city. © NEWS5 / Eric Deiler