AURORA BOREALIS

The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights are a spectacular natural phenomenon caused by charged particles from the sun interacting with the earth's magnetic field and outer reaches of our atmosphere. Most frequently observed north of the Arctic Circle, their duration and visibility can be fleeting. A week's landscape photography in northern Norway provided four nights without cloud and aurora were visible on three of them. The most impressive display was near Nordkapp, continental Europe's most northerly point at 71 degrees latitude. I identified a location where a snow-clad mountain ridge and fjord provided foreground interest to capture this striking image. Aurora are faint and move fast so I needed maximum aperture and high ISO. The foreground is illuminated by stray light from distant streetlights.

F/4, 30 seconds, ISO 500
Accepted: Cheltenham 2013, Sydney (Australia) 2014, Port Talbot 2014, Northern Counties 2014, South Devon 2014, Olympic - Zeus, Aphrodite, Hermes and Apollo (Greece) 2014, MNE (Montenegro) 2014