Iceland's Northern Lights
Like the lights behind your eyelids when they’re closed, except green instead of red
It was -19 degrees celsius and the tripod I had was miniature. I ended up prone in the snow with an empty coffee cup to steady the camera. Unfortunately, my focus was the wrong way around for the first few shots, but those initial images show more of the movement than the later ones where the light got intense.
In real life the lights aren’t so green (the camera pics up more colour than the human eye) but they’re still unbelievable to watch. The shapes move so quickly it feels like you can only trace them looking back at the still images. Like clouds, but more fluid. Like cognitive dissonance. Like the lights behind your eyelids when they’re closed.
You already know what this is, I’m sure. Collisions, reactions, particles, gas. Earth’s atmosphere and the sun’s. Apparently, most instances are mirrored, occurring at the same time, in similar patterns and hues, north and south.
My brain knew it wasn’t static, but it couldn't tell where they began or how they moved or when they changed—even though I saw it all unfolding.
Slideshow: Northern Lights