St Patrick’s Day twist for ’fluke’ Loch Ness meteor photo

It’s a miracle the likes of St Patrick could have produced.

A breathtaking photo of a meteor passing over Loch Ness has gone viral, with many rushing to praise the once-in-a-lifetime shot - but some Irish people are spotting something else in the image.

The spectacular photo was taken by amateur snapper John Alasdair Macdonald, who posted the shot on his Facebook page, The Hebridean Explorer.

"It was an absolute fluke," he says.

"I can claim no credit whatsoever. As my wife said 'sheer dumb luck,' and she was right. I know I will never take as good a photograph again no matter how long I try."

You know what else is sheer luck? That very familiar-looking reflection.

The meteor is reflecting three colour on to Loch Ness: green, white, and orange. So just like Obama and JFK, we're claiming it as one of our own.

The photographer has remained modest about the whole thing, playing down the fact that he photographed something more elusive than Nessie.

"I am not a photographer really," he says. "I just take some now and again to put on Facebook.

It had been such a lovely weekend and the sky was so clear, I thought I would nip up the loch and take some photos using by little compact camera which I just point and shoot.

"I started after eight in the evening taking shots of the night sky with the stars. It was lovely. I had been there for about an hour and was just taking my last shots when this wonderful meteor appeared up the loch.

"It was an absolute fluke. I can claim no credit whatsoever. As my wife said 'sheer dumb luck,' and she was right. I know I will never take as good a photograph again no matter how long I try."