Scientists in Sweden put on a light show in the night sky on Thursday, releasing material from a sounding rocket to research the spectacular northern lights phenomena.

The northern lights, also known as aurora borealis or polar lights, appear as swathes of blue, green and purple lights flickering and dancing across the sky.

They can occasionally be seen across the Arctic on clear nights.

Researchers at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics sent up the rocket from the Esrange Space Center in the country's far north, releasing materials similar to those in fireworks into the sky at an altitude of between 100-200 kilometers (62-124 miles).

Waves of greenish-white lights could be seen across the dark sky just after 1830 GMT above the northern Swedish town of Kiruna and within a 200-kilometer radius.

Somewhat less spectacular than the real northern lights, the experiment ended up blocking out a real aurora borealis occurring naturally.

The experiment was part of aurora research aimed at helping scientists improve near-space weather forecasts to protect satellites and critical infrastructures.

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