A PHOTOGRAPHER from Oswestry captured a stunning picture of the Northern Lights above the town on Sunday night.

Jody Wilson headed to the town's hillfort to capture the cosmic ballet and shared an awe-inspiring picture with the Advertizer.

Earlier in the day, Lancaster University's AuroraWatch, run by the Space and Planetary Physics group, had issued a 'red alert', meaning that seeing aurora was very "likely".

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Jody said: "After seeing the tracking app giving a red alert I headed up the hillfort at about 9pm. The lights really came to life around 10.30/11pm.

"My camera was set up for long exposure photography and the shots were taken over 20/25 seconds to take in as much light as possible.

"It was my first time catching the lights and it was amazing to see it so vivid, especially this far south."

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The aurora is caused by activity on the sun's surface.

Solar storms on a star's surface give out huge clouds of particles charged with electricity, which can enter the Earth's atmosphere very quickly.

The phenomenon caused the sky to turn different shades of green and purple.

The display may also be visible in tonight's sky if conditions are clear.