These are the stunning images of the Northern Lights caught making a very rare appearance above the Essex skyline. The phenomenon, where charged particles from the sun cause the sky to blaze green and red is more normally seen further north in Norway or the North of Scotland. Residents near the town of Maldon were treated to the night time spectacular which is very rarely seen anywhere in the South of England.
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© Peter ScottPurple haze: Residents near the town of Maldon were treated to the night time spectacular which is very rarely seen anywhere in the South of England (as in, NEVER seen)

The dazzling night show was captured by amateur photographer Peter Scott who carefully positioned himself at Heybridge Basin, just outside of the town.

The night time display comes about when charged particles from the sun combine with the earth's magnetic field creating bursts of light.

It's the different types of gases found at different attitudes which causes the range on colours to appear. Green lights are the most common - and purple aurorae are caused by high-altitude nitrogen atoms.

Peter, 43, managed to capture the images on his Canon DSLR 5D camera after spending 30 minutes searching for the darkest place he could find to position himself for the best picture.

The best colours are usually seen during late autumn and winter but heavy snowfall in Norway can reduce the chances of getting glimpses of the lights.

Peter said: 'I wasn't expecting to see so much, it really was a big flare and I know I won't see anything like that again in my life time. To get the light so strong was unbelievable especially when it's extremely rare to even see the lights this far South.

It's really important to get the right exposure and white balance and that takes a lot of time but I try to get it right when I'm out on the field so there's less work to do afterwards. Looking back at the pictures now makes me feel really happy with how they've turned out and I feel quite smug with my work.'

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