Uro Fink, Cosmic Explosion, Istria, Croatia. All images the photographers, courtesy of Capture the Atlas, shared with permissionLuminous Skies Star in the 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year ContestDecember 3, 2024NaturePhotographyKate MothesThis year, as we reach the solar maximum of the current solar cycle, the Northern and Southern Lights have been more active than ever, illuminating skies in unexpected places where theyve rarelyif everbeen photographed, say the organizers of the 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year contest.Bringing together the work of dozens of photographers around the world, the unique competition highlights the endless variety of landscapes, atmospheric conditions, and astronomical phenomena that combine into otherworldly visions of the sky.Baillie Farley, Lake Toolondo Aurora, Lake Toolondo, AustraliaWhen solar wind causes disturbances in the earths magnetosphere, we are sometimes treated to luminous, rippling skies. The phenomenon is often referred to as the northern lights, or aurora borealis, and in the southern hemisphere, its aurora australis. Coined by 17th-century astronomer Galileo, the names draw on ancient Greco-Roman deities who watched over the dawn (Aurora) and the northerly and southerly winds (Borealis and Australis, respectively).Presented by Capture the Atlas, which combines destination photo tours with guidance and tutorials for photographers of all skill levels, the competitions top 25 imagesa selection of our favorites included herespan locales from Spain to Namibia to Arizona. Uro Finks stunning capture from Istria, Croatia, foregrounds a brilliant aurora with a Perseid meteor shower. He described the moment like being treated to a multi-course menu of the night sky, in which he captured not only the greenish glow but also the Milky Way, the constellation Orion, Zodiacal light, and the distant glow of Jupiter and Mars. Other winners include Tom Raes glowing view of the Milky Way bathed in pink light, taken from Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, New Zealand, and Josh Beamess dramatic drone shot of an erupting volcano in Iceland set against a luminous green curtain.Explore all of the finalists in Capture the Atlass online gallery, and keep an eye out for updates about travel opportunities and the next contest on Instagram.Josh Beames, Magic o the North, IcelandTom Rae, Sky Fire, Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, New ZealandAdrian Cormier, Carpe Diem, Crater Lake National Park, U.S.Egor Goryachev, African Savanna Under the Lights of Southern Aurora, Spitzkoppe, NamibiaDavid Tanis, Gibson Glow, Victoria, AustraliaSergey Korolev, In the Rays of the Solar Wind, Rybachy Peninsula, RussiaEvan Watts, Canyon Lights, Yellowstone National Park, U.S.Edn Snchez, Auroras en el Infierno, Asturias, SpainHerry Himanshu, Paddling Under the Aurora, Banff National Park, CanadaPrevious articleNext article