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11 Pictures Of The Northern Lights That Just Dazzled Norway

Stefano Pozzebon

2014-10-02T16:06:00Z

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The village of Mestervik in Norway, located north of the Arctic Circle, recently got a fantastic view of the Northern Lights, one of the most spectacular natural phenomena on the planet. The colorful light display provides yet another reason to move to the Nordic region.

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Most people are prevented from seeing this light show in person due to the location — the Northern Lights normally shine in remote places like Saskatchewan in Canada or in Greenland.

Reuters photographer Yannis Behrakis recently took a trip to Norway and got some fantastic shots. We've pulled out some of the best.

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The Northern Lights, also called auroras, are natural light displays in the sky that occur around the Poles.

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They are most visible at night, when the bright colors stand out in the dark sky.

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Auroras are caused by the collision of solar wind with the Earth's atmosphere at an altitude between 60 and 400 miles above sea level.

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Green auroras, like the one in the picture below, occur at a lower altitude and are easier to spot than red auroras.

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They are most visible around the spring and autumn equinoxes, at the end of March and end of September.

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They concentrate around the poles because the solar wind is attracted there by the Earth's magnetic field.

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Technically, "aurora borealis" are only those happening around the North Pole; when an aurora occurs at the South Pole it is called "aurora australis."

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Countries like Norway, Iceland, and Canada are famous for their auroras, but they are also visible in New Zealand and Chile.

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These countries also enjoy some of the wildest natural landscapes in the world.

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The name "aurora" comes from the Roman mythology, and was the name of the goddess of light.

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It normally takes between 10 and 30 seconds to take a picture of a bright aurora with a standard DSLR camera.

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Still considering that trip to Scandinavia?

Norway — A beautiful view of a small harbor and snow-capped mountains near the village of Mestervik in northern Norway. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis

12 Reasons To Move To Norway Right Now »

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