Northern Lights Photographer of the Year Showcases One of the Best Aurora Years Ever

This spectacular image from Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand was “one of the most breathtaking sights” photographer Tom Rae has ever seen. It features the Aurora Australis, the Stable Auroral Red (SAR) arc phenomena, and the Milky Way. | ‘Sky Fire’ by Tom Rae, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year.

Capture the Atlas‘ Northern Lights Photographer of the Year competition always features spectacular aurora photos, but this year’s seventh annual edition is especially incredible thanks to exceptional solar conditions in 2024.

As Capture the Atlas explains and photographers worldwide have witnessed first-hand, the Sun is nearing the solar maximum of its roughly 11-year cycle. As the Sun nears its solar maximum, sunspot activity ramps up significantly, creating a greater likelihood of solar storms and thus, beautiful auroral displays.

Due to the spectacular solar storms that hit Earth this year, photographers were treated to beautiful auroras in locations much farther from the North and South pole than usual. While typically, northern lights don’t venture too far south in the United States, this year’s competition features award-winning aurora shots from locations like Arizona, California, and Spain, all unique places within the history of the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year competition. Despite its name, Aurora Australis is on display, too, including photos from New Zealand, Australia, and even Chile.

With so many great aurora photos captured in a slow year, let alone a very active one like 2024, picking just 25 winners is tough. Capture the Atlas editor Dan Zafra sifts through images all year and picks the best shots based on the quality of the image, the story behind the shot, and how inspirational the photo can be — does it make others grab their camera and hunt auroras?

Without further ado, here are 14 more of the 25 award-winning photos presented in no particular order.

Patagonia is an exceedingly rare and spectacular place to see auroras. Photographer Marc Adamus is “not sure if an aurora had ever been recorded in Patagonia before.’ He captured this shot on May 10, 2024. | ‘Aurora Australis’ by Marc Adamus, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year.

‘This night will remain unforgettable. Between May 10th and 11th, a massive solar storm struck Earth with incredible force. It was triggered by a large sunspot area and an X-class solar flare (magnitude 1.0) accompanied by a full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME). A total of three CMEs reached Earth, interacting and amplifying each other,’ explains photographer Tobias Thäle. | ‘Aurora Mill’ by Tobias Thäle, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year.

‘As someone passionate about both the night sky and climbing, I had always wanted to capture climbing under the stars. We carried our ice climbing gear up the track and onto the glacier — a perfect spot for climbing, easy access, and, being so remote, an ideal location for photographing the aurora,’ says Henry Frakes of capturing this photo in Aspiring National Park, New Zealand. | ‘Sky and Ice’ by Henry Frakes, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Thanks to a powerful G5-class storm, even France got in on the aurorae this year. Julien Looten’s panoramic shot from Normandy shows rich purple and pink hues above a green arc. | ‘A Historic NIght: Northern Lights at Étretat’ by Julien Looten, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

‘I’ve witnessed countless aurora displays in my life, but this one had possibly the most intense red color I’ve ever seen,” says photographer Vincenzo Mazza about this image he captured in October 2024. | ‘Red Wall’ by Vincenzo Mazza, Capture the Atlas Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2024

Another shot from May 10, 2024 shows auroras in Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. | ‘Coronal Mass Eruptions’ by Matt Haynie, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

From inside a cave in Victoria, Australia, David Tanis captured this colorful display. Many other photographers enjoyed the evening on the coast, so it was a communal experience. Tanis says he was one of the few photographers looking east that night, capturing a distinct frame despite the crowds. | ‘Gibson Glow’ by David Tanis, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Rokolyana Hilevych captured this vibrant red auroral display in the Dolomites in Italy after a cold nighttime hike. The photographer shot 840 frames from 8:30 PM to 5 AM. | ‘Coronation’ by Roksolyana Hilevych, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Photographer Uroš Fink was “treated to a ‘multi-course menu’ of the night sky” earlier this year when he saw the aurora, the Milky Way, and the Perseid meteor shower all at once in Istria, Croatia. | ‘Cosmic Explosion’ by Uroš Fink, Capture the Atlas Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2024

‘It’s not every day that the Northern Lights make it as far south as Southern Arizona! I’ve been captivated by the aurora ever since I first saw it in Iceland in 2018, so when I heard there was a chance to witness it here, I didn’t hesitate to grab my gear and head into the desert with a couple of friends,’ says Lynsey Schroeder. | ‘Looking North’ by Lynsey Schroeder, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Sergey Korolev ventured to the northern edge of the Kola Peninsula in Russia to get this image. ‘I fell in love with this place during my first visit 10 years ago, and now, every year, I try to return and capture something new.’ | ‘In the Rays of the Solar Wind’ by Sergey Korolev, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Max Trafford had seen the northern lights just once before capturing his amazing shot in Dartmoor National Park in the United Kingdom. ‘What an unforgettable experience it was,’ the photographer exclaims. | ‘Celestial Reflection’ by Max Trafford, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

Jānis Paļulis originally planned to photograph the Perseids, but ended up witnessing a tremendous northern lights display in Bauska, Latvia. | ‘When the Aurora Meets the Milky Way’ by Jānis Paļulis, Capture the Atlas Northern Lights Photographer of the Year 2024

Lava and aurora in one? Photographer Josh Beames has “dreamed” of this shot for years, and finally got in 2024 during his annual Iceland workshop. | ‘Magic of the North’ by Josh Beames, Capture the Atlas 2024 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year

The remaining 10 images and additional information for the 15 photos above are available on Capture the Atlas‘s Northern Lights Photographer of the Year website. Photographers hoping to crack the top 25 next year can learn all they need to know about photographing aurora in PetaPixel‘s comprehensive guide.

Image credits: All photos are individually credited and provided courtesy of Capture the Atlas.