This timelapse captured ethereal noctilucent clouds shimmering above Northern Ireland.

According to the Met Office: "Noctilucent clouds are extremely rare very high clouds seen in the night sky, usually on clear, summer nights. They become visible about the same time as the brightest stars and are usually bluish or silvery.

"Noctilucent clouds are extremely rare collections of ice crystals, occasionally appearing in late clear summer evenings after sunset, but before it gets completely dark.

"They become visible about the same time as the brightest stars appear and often stay visible after dark because they are still reflecting sunlight due to their great height."

This is a time lapse montage of Noctilucent Clouds captured from the UK over recent years using a DSLR camera and various lenses. Now is the start of the 2023 NLC season which runs from late May to early August with the season peaking on the weeks either side of the Solstice. NLCs are the highest clouds on Earth, located 82km high in the Mesosphere, they are visible as glowing structures in the northern sky during summer twilight long after the sun has set and can be visible all night long.

NLCs are composed from meteoritic material, mainly comet particles which predate the formation of Earth, these objects were formed during the formation of the solar system so NLC dust particles are 4 to 4.5 billion years old. NLCs can be spectacular with their electric blue colours while sporting complex alien structures which observers call waves, billows, bands, herringbone and whirls. This time lapse covers NLCs over N. Ireland during the last five years.