Northern Lights: 'Magical' displays captured in the West Country

A photographer from Somerset has captured a stunning photograph of the northern lights over Glastonbury Tor.

Josh Dury, who lives in Compton Main, took the photograph of the glowing sky, also known as the aurora borealis, at 3:07am, on Monday 25 September.

He has recently been nominated Astronomy Photographer of the Year, and said he couldn't resist the opportunity to capture the image from an iconic landmark in the south west.

"My aurora alerts were going mad and possibly, this was one of the strongest alerts that I have personally seen to date," he said.

"Glastonbury took a hit with the weather with a stubborn bank of cloud hitting directly overhead, but it didn’t stop me in my tracks.

"All I can say is what a magical night it has been."

The aurora borealis is more commonly sighted over Scandinavian countries such as Iceland and Norway, but was visible across the West Country on Monday night.

Mr Dury said it was "an emotional experience" being able to capture the astronomical event over the south of England.

He added he is hoping for more opportunities to photograph the light spectacle as the sun reaches the peak of it's 11-year-cycle, due to be at the end of 2024 or early 2025.

He said: "It was an amazing sight, and more is to come as the sun reaches solar maximum in 2025.

"This will give us a window of opportunity to see the northern lights from across the United Kingdom."