AS the days get longer and the skies get clearer, a number of local astrophotographers have been sharing their images of the sparkling night sky over Cornwall.

Recently, the Aurora Borealis has seen visible over the skies of Cornwall – according to the Met Office, the illuminations are most common during the equinox in March and September, when the Earth is not tilted towards or away from the sun.

The image taken by James Robinson is of The Orion Nebula (M42) – a diffuse nebula that is some 1300 light years from the Earth. It’s estimated to be 24 light years across and forms the centre 'star' of Orion's sword in the constellation.

Shot Crowdy Reservoir the image was taken with a 10 inch (250mm) telescope lens and mirrorless camera.

James explained: “It is about an hour and 20 minutes of 20 and 30 second shots 'stacked' together to capture as much detail as possible.”

Photographers included in the video:

James Robinson

Marcus Jose - Cornwall On Camera

Ned’s Photography

Kiran Chankira

Simon Hudson – @landscapeandskyu.k