A lawnmower has been blamed for wrongly triggering sensors that predict when the Northern Lights will be visible in the UK.
A red alert issued via the Aurora Watch mailing list was withdrawn after sensor readings were found to be "spurious".
An investigation revealed a lawnmower had got too close to one sensor, triggering a "massive spike" in data.
Later an update posted to the Aurora Watch webpage said an investigation had revealed that a groundskeeper using a "sit-on mower" to trim grass had been driving too close to the sensor, prompting the spike.
"We'll work with the facilities team to try and avoid an incident such as this occurring in the future," said the scientists.
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