Wiltshire stargazers stayed up late for the chance to catch a rare glimpse of the Aurora Borealis shimmering in the night sky.

The stunning display of purple-blue hues first appeared above the county on Sunday evening and AuroraWatch UK then issued a red alert to indicate that Tuesday morning would see a similarly high level of electromagnetic activity.

Camera Club members took the opportunity to capture the light show.

READ MORE: When you could see the Northern Lights above Wiltshire tonight

Lisa Hagarty saw the aurora and a Perseid meteor near Liddington while Joy Allen and Vijay Patel managed to take impressive images of Watchfield and West Kennet Long Barrow, respectively, on their phones, and Stacy Woolhouse spotted the Northern Lights above South Marston.

They generally appear in high-latitude regions such as the Arctic or Scandinavia. 

Their colourful glow is caused by a stream of charged particles that have escaped the sun interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field.

The particles hit our atmosphere at high speed and combine with oxygen and nitrogen to create a multicoloured burst. A green glow is associated with oxygen while nitrogen causes the appearance of purple, blue and pink. 

 Southern areas of Scotland, England and Wales can also sometimes catch sight of the aurora.