Look: Best of 2022 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Travel photography blog Capture the Atlas has published the 5th edition of their annual Northern Lights Photographer of the Year, a collection featuring the best 25 photos of the Northern Lights. This compilation is published in December to coincide with the northern lights season and the end of the year, and it is aimed at inspiring and sharing the beauty of this nature. Above, “Polaris Dream” by Nico Rinaldi.

This year’s list includes images that were taken around the world, in countries like the United States, Canada, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Russia, Greenland, and New Zealand, by 25 photographers of 13 different nationalities. Above, “Elves’ House” by Asier López Castro taken in Stokknes, Iceland.

The Northern Lights season ranges from September to April in the Northern Hemisphere and from March to September in the Southern Hemisphere. The best time to see and photograph the Lights is during the fall and spring equinoxes because of the orientation of Earth’s axis. The above picture, “The Light Upon Kerlaugar” by Jannes Krause, is taken in Suðurland, Iceland.

“Auroraverse” by Tor-Ivar Næss. Dan Zafra, the editor of Capture the Atlas, reminds us that the northern lights season ranges from September to April in the Northern Hemisphere and from March to September in the Southern Hemisphere. He adds that the best time to see and photograph the Lights is during the fall and spring equinoxes because of the orientation of Earth’s axis.

“Inception” by Giulio Cobianchi, Lofoten Islands, Norway.

“Michigan Night Watch” by Marybeth Kiczenski. Point Betsie Lighthouse, Frankfort, Michigan.