The Northern Lights as seen from Tromsø, Norway. As we approach solar maximum in 2024, you may not have to travel quite so far to capture images of one of nature’s greatest spectacles.
As we approach solar maximum in 2024, there’s no better time to glimpse the Northern Lights from the United Kingdom. During its 11-year A solar cycle, the sun becomes more active, resulting in stronger solar winds and ‘coronal mass ejections’. These react with atoms of oxygen and nitrogen in Earth’s atmosphere at either pole to produce the aurora borealis (or aurora australis in the southern hemisphere). The stronger the ejections, the further down in latitude the ‘auroral arc’ is seen – so now’s a perfect time to capture this spectacular astronomical sight.
Josh Dury is a professional landscape astrophotographer who lives close to the Mendip Hills ‘Super’ National Nature Reserve in Somerset, UK. He was recently announced as the overall winner of the Historic Photographer of the Year competition and was also shortlisted for the Astronomy Photographer of the Year in 2023.
Instagram: @Josh_dury_photomedia