A SCOTS amateur photographer was left stunned after capturing a ‘breathtaking’ shot of the Aurora Borealis as it danced around the night sky in Scotland’s north-east.
Richard Mullen from Edinburgh had travelled north to the tourist attraction Bow Fiddle Rock near Portknockie, Moray in anticipation of capturing his shot.
Determined, the 49-year-old set off from his home and travelled throughout the day to make sure he was in position, waiting patiently for the right moment.
Incredibly dad-of-three Richard was left delighted after his patience paid off and he captured the breathtaking image.
In the picture, the Aurora Borealis lights up the dark night sky with several shades of green splintering the night sky and changing the entire landscape.
Below the scenes unfolding overhead, the quartzite rocks from the sea arch of Bow Fiddle Rock sit as the water laps against the bottom of the tourist attraction with a faint mist just above the sea.
The breathtaking shot was captured by the keen snapper with his Nikon Z camera just after half past seven last night.
Richard shared the image to social media yesterday with the caption: “Bow Fiddle Rock, 5th November 2023, Aurora Borealis putting on the most amazing display I’ve seen to date.”
His picture received over 2,700 likes with hundreds of comments from social media users who were left in awe at the incredible picture of the Aurora Borealis.
One said: “Stunning.”
Another added: “Oh, breathtaking.”
A third replied: “That is one of the nicest Aurora images I have seen this year, stunning.”
Another commented: “Spectacular.”
A fifth stated: “Unreal.”
Speaking today, Richard said: “It’s an image I’d been after for years, I knew it [Aurora Borealis] was going to hit big last night.
“I set off in daylight all prepared and ready, I had been here before and got nothing.
“It’s an inspiring sight, most people only experience it in monochrome but sometimes it just explodes into colour, I turned the camera off last night and just laid on the beach.
“It was great to see people out and about enjoying it, you’re normally sat on your own.
“We are lucky here in the North but you’re only lucky if you take the time to just chill and look up.
“I was determined last year to take my young girls out to see it [Aurora Borealis], it was the usual scenario of ‘are we there yet?’ and ‘do we have to it’s cold’ but when they got out of the car they were gobsmacked.”
The natural phenomenon is caused by solar systems on the surface of the Sun and the result of atoms and molecules in our atmosphere colliding with particles from our stars.