Astronomer captures dazzling cosmic shows in the skies above the UK

Clear night skies are quite a rarity in Britain - but when the clouds do break, the cosmos is always ready to put on a show, as these incredible pictures reveal in mesmerising fashion.

They're all taken by Dan Monk, 30, an astronomer and the Director of Astrophotography at Kielder Observatory in Northumberland.

One photograph captures the majesty of the Milky Way, which he explains is 'roughly 100,000 light-years across', while another illustrates the Andromeda Galaxy - a 'collection of half a trillion stars' - and a third shows the Comet Neowise passing the Earth at 144,000mph.

Dan, who is originally from Sunderland, started learning about the night sky in his teens and eventually turned to astrophotography as a way to see more stars. He says: ‘Although looking through a telescope is an amazing experience, the human eye can’t compare to the detail that a camera can “see”.’

Northumberland, the Lake District and Wales are among his favourite settings for celestial photographs in the UK. ‘There are currently 15 designated dark sky places in the UK as recognised by the International Dark Sky Association and The Northumberland International Dark Sky Park is the largest by area,’ he says.

He continues: ‘The most exciting part of photographing the night sky is being able to expose yourself to breathtaking locations at night. Sitting under a dark sky surrounded by a serene landscape with the sound of the camera clicking and recording ancient photons of light is a magical experience.' Scroll down to see awe-inspiring examples of Dan’s work...