Milky Way pictured against backdrop of Northern Lights

A photographer has captured the rare moment the Milky Way was seen through the clear night sky against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

Sylvan Buckley, 46, snapped the Aurora Borealis on the Isle of Arran, North Ayrshire, as the glowing yellow and right lights could be seen beneath the Milky Way core.

Sylvan, from Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, raced to pack his camera gear and jump on a ferry to the island after reading the skies would be clear on Tuesday evening.

He hiked up North Goatfell on the island hoping to capture pictures of the Milky Way but was amazed when he saw the Northern Lights appear in the sky.

The amateur photographer snapped the stunning photos just after 1am on Wednesday morning and was elated to capture both celestial phenomena in the same picture.

Sylvan said: “Making the decision to head over to the Isle of Arran after reading the weather report that predicted the sky to be clear I never really got the chance to stop.

“I packed a bag with my camera equipment and caught the next ferry over to the island.

“It was already early evening by the time I reached the island and dark when I reached the ridge.

“I took out my camera ready to take some photos of the Milky Way core and within a few minutes I noticed a little bit of light over to the north out of the corner of my eye.

“I knew straight away that this would’ve been the Northern Lights.

“I decided It would make a great panorama photo with the milky way core on the left and the aurora stretching across the right of the frame.

“I was elated to get the shot.

“Getting the Milky Way core over the hills like I had planned was worth the trip alone but the Aurora kicking up the way it did just made the trip so much more worth the effort.

“It was an amazing experience being up there seeing it all unfold and definitely worth the two blistered feet from rushing up the hill at the last minute.”