Aurora Borealis photography is one of the most technically demanding nighttime landscape photography techniques. It captures the brilliant natural light in the sky created by charged particles from the Sun rippling across the Earth’s magnetic field.

The collection below has compiled the 25 most beautiful Aurora photos of 2022. The photos were introduced by international space agencies and were ranked highest by photography magazines, as well as widely shared on social networks.

“Aurora & Lunar Eclipse at the South Pole” – Aman Chikshi

Photographer Aman Chikshi has been honored by NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day for his image taken in Antarctica. The composite images from Timelapse mode captured the partial and total phases of the lunar eclipse as the Moon moved above the horizon from the Amundsen-Scott Station in Antarctica. 

The image captures a cold, starry night at the South Pole, with the brilliant colors of the Aurora Borealis and the Milky Way in the center. In the foreground are the South Pole Station’s BICEP telescope and Dark Sector Laboratory. 

“Double Arc” – Giulio Cobianchi

That night, photographer Giulio Cobianchi decided to spend time with one of the most beautiful landscapes of the Lofoten Islands and wanted to take a photo of the “double arc” to add to his collection. He had planned it for a long time and finally the opportunity arose. 

“It was not yet completely dark, but I could already see the Milky Way looming in front of me, and I was hoping that in a few hours the Aurora Borealis would also appear on the opposite side, creating a perfect double arc. With such a composition, the dancing lights in the sky would not ruin our galaxy. And as expected, two beautiful arcs appeared in the sky. Not only that, you could also see the Andromeda Galaxy between the two arcs, a shooting star streaking across the top, and right above the brilliant aurora was the Big Dipper – one of the most beautiful constellations! Even looking north, you could see the bright band of the sun just setting on the horizon,” Giulio Cobianchi shared.

“Aurora & Orion” – Roi Levi

“Despite the rainy and cold weather in October in Iceland, I did not give up on my idea of ​​capturing the aurora. And you cannot imagine my excitement when I finally achieved my dream of capturing the aurora dancing with the clouds gradually clearing to the East and the Orion constellation shining in the sky. Something that seemed impossible happened in a way I could not have expected,” said Roi Levi.

“Panoramic Lights” – Victor Lima

The photo depicts a perfect night in Kirkjufell mountain – one of the most visited and photographed natural attractions in Iceland. 

“It was the third day of my Iceland photography tour and as usual we were exploring the Snæfellsnes peninsula in western Iceland,” says Victor Lima. “The plan was to visit the main attractions during the day and try to photograph the Northern Lights at night in the Kirkjufell mountain area – one of the most photographed mountains in Iceland. 

The weather didn’t seem to support my plans as it was quite cloudy all day. To be sure of my plans, I checked the weather indicators – which determine the appearance of the aurora borealis – which showed a moderate to strong chance of aurora during the night. Luckily, the forecast was correct and I was able to capture some beautiful photos of the aurora.”

“Aurora Arch” – Benjamin Barakat

Photographer Benjamin Barakat spent an “epic night” at a beautiful and iconic location in Iceland – Vestrahorn/Stokksnes. 

“We were blessed with the opportunity to admire the beautiful arc in the sky which created a great composition for capturing an impressive single-row panorama”, Benjamin Barakat.

“Aurora Over Glacier Lagoon in Iceland” – Sean Parker

This is a favorite photo that photographer Sean Parker took around December at the famous Glacier Lagoon in Iceland. 

“I was here with my photography workshop group. It was amazing to see the aurora dancing above us. As we were walking around looking for a good spot, we came across this piece of ice that had washed up on the beach. I knew immediately that this was the one. This was my last shot of the night as the aurora slowly faded from the sky.”, Sean Parker shared.

“Aurora Lighthouse” – MaryBeth Kiczenski

This is a remastered image of a photo of one of MaryBeth Kiczenski’s favorite places. 

“One of the things that bothered me about the original was that the lighthouse was warped because it was shot wide open,” MaryBeth Kiczenski reveals. “In this version, I took advantage of the lens distortion correction feature in Photoshop. It was great to see the final result meet my expectations.”

“Red Aurora” – Ruslan Merzlyakov

The fiery red aurora columns appear in the Limfjord sky in the photographer’s native Denmark. For those who are passionate about the sky and aurora, the happiness will never be lost when seeing the sky glowing like this once in their life.

“Aurora SubStorm” – David Erichsen

The colors of the rainbow dance over the Delta Mountains in Alaska. 

“This was one of the most spectacular moments I have ever witnessed in my life. Although I have been lucky enough to see the aurora borealis about 30-40 times, I have never witnessed such a colorful array of auroras.”, photographer David Erichsen.

“City Lights” – Sean Parker

Photographer Sean Parker’s photo “City Lights” is one of the 25 most impressive Aurora photos in 2022.

“South Pole Station, Antarctica” – Aman Chokshi

The photo seems to recreate a magical alien world. Rainbow-like auroras appear on the horizon, and you can even see the Milky Way connecting to the South Pole Telescope. All create a magical and enchanting scene.

“The Peak Of Lights” – Shadow Kuo

“This was my second visit to the majestic Segla Peak – the majestic spot that rises like a shark’s fin from the fjord of Senja Island (Norway). I was only able to camp here for one night and the aurora forecast was not good, but I was blown away by the aurora rings that circled the sky like a wonderful gift from the heavens. And I was even happier because it was my birthday.

“This composition is facing south, I used 4 frames to merge to complete this work, 3 frames were taken during blue hour to create a highly detailed foreground with overlapping focal points combined with a frame of the aurora at night, you can also observe the moon in the upper right corner of the photo,” Shadow Kuo shared.

“Rainbow Auroras Above the South Pole” – Aman Chokshi

“We have experimented with taking photos at the South Pole Telescope a few times at 3am when the aurora lights up the sky,” photographer Aman Chokshi excitedly revealed. 

I used a torch for light and attempted to take a timelapse shot but did not have my insulated camera case with me. With the wind chill near -80℃, my poor camera “fell apart” before I could take 50 shots. However, it was still one of the most spectacular nights I have ever experienced.”

“Aurora and Bioluminescent Algae in Denmark” – Ruslan Merzlyakov

The photo was taken in Nykøbing Mors, Denmark, on a clear night with glowing bands of color dancing on the horizon and reflecting light off the water. 

“Aurora Australis Little Planet” – Aman Chikshi

We are seeing the first light of dawn over Antarctica after nearly six months of darkness. This is a 360-degree spherical panorama of the exterior of Amundsen South Pole Station, below the ceremonial pole marker surrounded by the 12 flags of the original signatories to the Antarctic Treaty, above which dance the aurora borealis. 

“Inflight Entertainment” – Ralf Rohner

The photo was taken during author Ralf Rohner’s return flight from vacation. 

“The angle of the photo from the passenger seat seemed a bit unusual (or so I thought) but it gave me the opportunity to capture a beautiful scene of the aurora dancing on the wings of the plane. It was a fun way to pass the time during the long flight.

However, this shooting experience also brought many challenges for me when I had to hold the camera and use a blanket to avoid reflections. The results proved that we can absolutely take “good night” photos right on the passenger seat without complicated equipment,” Ralf Rohner shared.

“Aurora Cave” – Stefano Pellegrini

To hunt for the Northern Lights, photographer Stefano Pellegrini had to live in his car to make his journey for many days. Luckily, the plan was successful, the author combined 5 horizontal photos to create an impressive panoramic photo. “I have never seen such bright and colorful aurora dancing above my head” – Stefano Pellegrini shared.

“Under Northern Lights” – Stepffan Liberman

This panoramic photo shows the aurora reflected in the water and on the left you can also spot a photographer at work. 

“Aurora Cave” – David Erichsen

This photo of the aurora dancing outside an ice cave was the result of a 12-hour flight, 3-hour drive, and 2-mile hike.

“Frozen Lights” – Mordi Shamir

This photo was taken completely randomly without any prior preparation. 

“I was in my hotel room at the end of the day after a tour guide job for some friends. I looked out onto the balcony and saw the lights had started dancing outside. So I ran outside with my camera and gear, and set up my shot facing the majestic Kirkjufell mountain with the aurora dancing above!”

“Reflection of Lights” – Itai Monnickendam

Watching the Northern Lights dance is a wonderful experience. But in photography, it’s a little different. You need to balance the lighting elements as best you can, creating a composition that tells a story about the place, time, and experience. 

The photo “Reflection of Lights” combines all the elements of a bright moonlit night with a wonderful performance in the sky. The location of the work also contributes to the uniqueness of “Reflection of Lights”.

“Aurora in Godafoss” – Miki Spitzer

Miki Spitzer is a landscape and nature photographer who has taken many photos in Iceland, Norway, Scandinavia and many photos of the Northern Lights. 

Like all landscape photography, the most important thing to consider when photographing the Northern Lights is composition. The photographer needs to find a harmonious foreground and composition that creates a space for the viewer to look up to the sky – where the light is dancing. Photographing this subject is not easy, requiring the photographer to have a lot of techniques and a strong will to never give up. 

The camera’s exposure and focus settings for the foreground and the sky’s bright streaks of light had to be done in the dark, in cold weather. 

The photo “Aurora in Godafoss” was taken at Miki Spitzer’s favorite waterfall in Godafos (Iceland). Although there were many external factors involved, in the end, all the photographer’s efforts were worth it.

“Arctic Heng” – Anna Ross

The road to Raufarhöfn village – one of the most remote settlements in northern Iceland – is long and endless. Photographer Anna Ross had to go through a very long journey to get this result. 

“Arctic Heng” captures the dramatic moment when the aurora borealis paints the Icelandic sky in a spectacular colorful light show. 

“Catching the Night Lights” – Ruslan Merzlyakov

“Catching the Night Lights” chronicles Ruslan Merzlyakov’s unforgettable adventure through Greenland. This photo of the aurora from the abandoned research station in Kangerlussuaq is the author’s favorite work.

“Aurora & Orion” – Roi Levi

Roi Levi started out taking astrophotographs of objects in space, but his focus gradually shifted to photographing the aurora borealis and the Orion Red clouds. 

It was a difficult mission that required the right combination of conditions: a moonless night, aurora borealis, and clear skies. Roi Levi came to Iceland with the intention of achieving his goal, and fortunately, he achieved it.