A SCOTS scientist was left “shaking with excitement” after he captured an incredible snap of the aurora borealis shimmering over his hometown.
Simon Boyle from Bo’ness, West Lothian had decided he knew exactly where he wanted to be when he learned the famous light show would appear overhead on Sunday night.
Determined, the 49-year-old set off to a nearby field with his Nikon DSLR camera and tripod at 11pm and sat patiently, awaiting the right moment.
Sure enough, scientific analyst Simon was left chuffed when his patience paid off, managing to snap a truly breathtaking image in the early hours of yesterday morning.
In the picture, the aurora borealis lights up the sky in a gorgeous purple haze with splinters of green shooting up through the clouds.
Below the scenes unfolding overhead, there lies three small standing stones, giving the entire image a mystical energy to it.
Simon shared the image to social media yesterday with the caption: “In case you missed it, the aurora was putting on a show down in Bo’ness about 3am.”
His image received over 390 likes and dozens of comments from social media users who were left in awe by the beauty of the shot.
One said: “Beautiful.”
Another added: “Wow, fantastic picture.”
A third replied: “Amazing.”
Another commented: “Nice one, Simon.”
A fifth responded: “Gorgeous, Simon.”
Simon had initially become interested in photography following several climbing expeditions with friends and so learned how best to work with composition as he wanted to capture the views.
Speaking today, Simon said: “I had first ventured out around 11pm when satellite data confirmed that auroral activity was likely to be high.
“Initially my view was mostly obscured by clouds so I sat out until 3am when the clouds finally cleared.
“When I saw the green glow and the pillars of light rising up into the northern sky, the beauty of it took my breath away.
“I was shaking with excitement and the scientist in me was thinking about all the physical mechanisms involved in the formation of the aurora.
“It was a strangely spiritual experience for me despite my understanding of the mechanisms behind its formation.
“I think sometimes words just don’t suffice for the feeling of witnessing such events.”
The lights seen in the night sky are caused by solar storms on the surface of the Sun, and are the result of atoms and molecules in our atmosphere colliding with particles from our star.
The aurora borealis is more visible the further north you go, but is best seen on clear, dark nights with little to no light pollution.
