A PHOTOGRAPHER has captured a shooting star over the iconic Sycamore Gap.

Resident stargazer at the Twice Brewed Inn Wil Cheung braved sub-zero temperatures at Hadrian's Wall to get the shot.

It comes after one of Wil's photos went viral earlier this year after he snapped - a now once-in-a-lifetime -family portrait with a shooting star travelling across the sky above them.

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Steve Swan, partner Louise Redpath and their children Harry, 13, and Rose, 11, were having their picture taken in front of an aurora display at the Twice Brewed Inn, near Bardon Mill, when a shooting star photo bombed their picture.

Wil said: “I have wanted to get a photo of a shooting star above Sycamore Gap for a long, long time and the forecast said there would be the darkest skies between 8pm and 9.57pm on December 14.”

When the skies are clear, December 13 and 14 are the best times to see the Geminid Meteor shower.

Wil explained: “It’s caused by a Hybrid Comet Asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. As it orbits the sun, it leaves behind a dust trail which Earth moves through in December, peaking on the 13 and 14.”

While under ideal conditions, the Geminids under can produce more than 120 shooting stars an hour, the forecast for last week’s shower was around 25-30.

“My challenge was to catch a bright one near the famous tree,” said Wil.

“Bearing in mind I often go to Iceland, this was no doubt one of the most challenging conditions I've faced as a photographer. Parts of the path to the tree were solid ice.

“It was great to get back into the warm and find I had got some great photos after all, including a photo of fellow North East photographer, Tom Wright who you can see making his way towards me.

“Sycamore Gap has been photographed from every angle and so it feels special to have captured an image of such an iconic place, which not many other people will have managed to get."

The Twice Brewed Inn runs a popular stargazing programme at its remote site.