Shimmering curtains of light adorn the night sky over Alaska. Known as the aurora borealis, or northern lights, these displays are created when charged particles from the sun interact with gases in Earth's atmosphere.
Photograph by Mark Thiessen, National Geographic Creative
An aurora creates streamers of light over Canada's Yukon Territory. Auroras are most commonly seen at high latitudes because solar particles follow Earth's magnetic field lines, and so they are funnelled toward the Poles.
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic Creative
Northern lights turn the sky green behind a church in Iceland.
Photograph by Raúl Touzon, National Geographic Creative
Scotch pines stand against a sky filled with auroras in Gjenvollhytta, Norway.
Photograph by Orsolya Haarberg, National Geographic Creative
The moon shines through a northern lights display seen from Laksefjorden in Norway.
Photograph by Erland Haarberg, National Geographic Creative
Auroras hang in the night sky over Canada's Northwest Territories.
Photograph by Paul Nicklen, National Geographic Creative
Auroras can be different colours depending on the types of gases interacting with solar particles and the height of the atmospheric layer involved.
Photograph by Norbert Rosing, National Geographic Creative
A mountain peak juts into a view of the northern lights from the Vesteralen Islands of Norway.
Photograph by Sérgio Pitamitz, National Geographic Creative
Auroras seem to flow over a house in Nordland, Norway.
Photograph by Sérgio Pitamitz, National Geographic Creative
A man watches the northern lights above the city of Whitehorse in Canada's Yukon Territory.
Photograph by Peter Mather, National Geographic Creative
