An amazing picture of the Northern Lights has been captured over a Suffolk church. 

The picture of the phenomenon was taken over Long Melford church on Tuesday by Mark Draper. 

The picture-perfect photograph captures the the natural phenomenon - also known as Aurora Borealis - over the village church. 

The Northern Lights is typically seen nearer to the Arctic Circle in locations such as Norway and Iceland.

Aurora is caused by atoms and molecules in our atmosphere colliding with particles from the sun, according to the Royal Museums Greenwich.

The wavy patterns of light are caused by the lines of force in the earth's magnetic field, and the different colours are made by different gases - the green is characteristic of oxygen, while the purple, blue or pink are caused by nitrogen.

Stargazers are set to see more celestial fireworks this month as the Orionid meteor is active throughout October - but during its peak people may be able to see 25 meteors every hour.

The shower is created by debris left by Halley's Comet and although the comet only passes by the earth every 75 to 76 years the annual shower provides some compensation for those who may miss that once-in-a-lifetime event.

The last time the comet passed the earth was in March 1986 and is not expected to pass by again until July 2061.