In this breathtaking capture, we see the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) as seen from Lapland, Finland. Lapland is the largest and northernmost of the regions of Finland. It borders the region of North Ostrobothnia in the south and also borders the Gulf of Bothnia; Norrbotten County in Sweden; Finnmark County and Troms County in Norway; and Murmansk Oblast in Russia.

The photo, taken by Jorma Lutha, was posted by Visit Finland, the official travel site of Finland. According to their site: in northern Lapland the Northern lights shine about every other clear night between September and March. In southern Finland they are visible on about 10-20 nights a year.

An aurora (astralis in the south and borealis in the north) is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude (Arctic and Antarctic) regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere (thermosphere). The charged particles originate in the magnetosphere and solar wind and, on Earth, are directed by the Earth’s magnetic field into the atmosphere. [source]