Capture the Atlas has announced the winners of the sixth edition of its annual Northern Lights Photographer of the Year.
The collection features the best 25 photos of the northern lights and southern lights from around the world this year.
The collection is published in December to coincide with the northern lights season and it is aimed at inspiring and sharing the beauty of this natural phenomenon.
Photographer Nickolas Warner faced a challenge capturing the northern lights from Sukakpak Mountain in the US state of Alaska.
While he is used to taking photos of the northern lights in the Brooks Mountain Range, the most photogenic angle faces south, which made it challenging for auroras to align with the morning.
"That night, there was an expectation of an X-Class flare hitting, so I knew we needed to head somewhere great," Warner said.
"We took our chances and decided to drive an hour north from our accommodation to capture Sukakpak Mountain in all its glory.
"It's very tempting to pull over and shoot where you are standing when the aurora is blazing above your head."
"When we got there, the sky exploded with more energy than I've seen in more than a decade of photographing the Aurora."
For a moment, Warner ignored his camera and stared up in awe at the light show.
"It was only once things slowed down that I captured this panorama," he said.
As a northern lights photographer, this scene at Tromso in Norway is what Vincent Beudez lives for.
"The strongest solar storm of the year," he said.
"That particular night, the northern lights were so strong that they were even visible from France, my home country.
"At that time, I was in northern Norway, which meant I could see an incredible show even facing south.
"I was able to see the most colorful northern lights I've ever witnessed."
Beudez looks for shapes within a perfect environment to create the perfect composition.
"It's hard to put into words the feeling when I saw this red curtain surrounded by dancing lights," he said.
This photo started with a few simple text messages.
Jordan McInally was told by several friends a big Aurora Australis was forecast.
The New Zealand photographer rushed up to Moke Lake as the beams started to dance across the horizon when the sunlight was fading.
"I spent around five hours up here and had this whole ridge to myself, shooting over 300 frames of all manner of beams and colours as the show was constantly changing," McInally said.
When it comes to capturing the northern lights, sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time.
William Preite was on an autumn tour of Italy's Dolomites when he witnessed this rare spectacle.
"There was a strong magnetic storm in the north, which partly spread to Southern Europe," Preite said.
"Scientists call this event SAR (Stable Auroral Red arcs), which is even more rare than the aurora itself."
A trip to the picturesque Great Ocean Road in Victoria was made even more stunning with the addition of the northern lights.
"I just recently noticed that the sun had emitted a massive solar flare which looked to be heading in Earth's direction," photographer Josh Beames said.
"I kept an eye on the charts and was excited to see that it would be a direct hit, granting a great opportunity to capture the elusive southern lights.
"As I checked the weather forecast, I saw we were going to have the perfect conditions, combined with the possibility of capturing a strong Aurora Australis.
"We made our way along the Great Ocean Road, to Bakers Oven, where were treated to an absolute show after sunset."
The title of this image, Goleuadau'r Gogledd, translates to northern lights in Welsh.
For Mathew Browne, finding the accurate translation proved challenging, as the phrase isn't commonly used in everyday conversations in South Wales.
"Witnessing the aurora borealis this far south is a rare occurrence, and capturing it at an iconic location like Paxton's Tower adds to its uniqueness," Browne said.
"Paxton's Tower, a hilltop folly with a history spanning over 200 years, overlooks the picturesque Carmarthenshire countryside.
"For over an hour, the horizon beyond the clouds emitted hues of green and pink.
"However, for a brief yet magical moment, the sky came alive with impressive pink pillars, visible to the naked eye."
Photographer Virgil Reglioni climbed Otertinden in Norway with fellow photographer Maria to capture this unique aurora shot.
"While we unintentionally chose one of the best aurora night displays in years for this mission, this accounted for only 10 per cent of the work for The Platform image to come to fruition," Reglioni said.
"After overcoming the steepest part, Maria, ahead of me, spotted the tip of the cliff and exclaimed, 'I see the cliff! I see the cliff!' I'll remember the adrenaline kick it gave me for a while.
"All I could think was, 'No way, we made it… now, how is the sky?'
"Facing the cliff on the platform, the Aurora Borealis danced above us — jackpot."
Photographer Laura Oppelt was delighted by this light show at Wadden Sea National Parks in Germany.
"It began with a faint glow on the horizon around 10pm (local time) and intensified over time," Oppelt said.
"The live view of my camera displayed the greens quite well, though they weren't visible to the naked eye.
"Later, as the reds and pinkish/purple tones emerged, the colors became clearly visible to the human eye.
"At a certain point, everything in the sky seemed to explode, and I couldn't help but scream out loudly on the beach in pure excitement and disbelief."
Photographer Alex Wides embarked on a three-month journey from Italy to the Great North and captured this stunning sight.
"You anticipate witnessing incredible sights, but this trip surpassed all my expectations," Wides said.
"Arriving at Senja Island, my personal favorite among the places I've been fortunate enough to visit, we encountered the most powerful northern lights of the year, exactly as predicted.
"The horizon is glowing with the light of the setting sun; in September, it sets at 11pm, painting the sky in vibrant shades of green, purple, and red.
"This shot encapsulates the essence of the journey, capturing the beauty of an extraordinary adventure on one unforgettable evening with my family and two dogs, witnessing an awe-inspiring spectacle."
Kat Lawman captured the northern lights from northern Sweden back in March.
But she never expected to also capture the incredible aurora 15 minutes from her home in Wales.
"Upon reaching the location, the aurora was exceptionally powerful. I worried that by the time I had sorted all my equipment and scouted my composition, I might miss the main show," Lawman said.
"Nevertheless, I set up my tripod next to a small pool of seawater, focusing on capturing reflections.
"At this point, the aurora had slightly diminished, and I had to endure a few rain showers.
"However, my efforts and perseverance paid off around 9.30pm when huge green and pink light pillars shot out of the sky —completely mesmerising."
Jason Perry captured the southern lights in Tasmania earlier this year when the light show displayed its "strongest presence in a long time".
"The celestial show commenced right after dark, coinciding with the emergence of the Milky Way core," Perry said.
"This is undeniably a convergence of people and space.
"The house lights on the right side, closest to me, contrast with the mountains of Freycinet National Park across the bay.
"I positioned myself as close as possible to the rocks, where the rising tide caused water to swirl around them.
"Despite having to reset the tripod a few times, the resulting reflection made the effort worthwhile."
Stefano Pellegrini spent a week in Iceland chasing the northern lights.
"Opting for total freedom of movement to track clear skies each night, I lived in a car, planning my itinerary day by day instead of booking hotels in advance," Pellegrini said.
"The strategy paid off, and I captured the aurora on four out of seven nights.
"Arriving at the location after dark, I parked the car and prepared my sleeping bag.
"Despite being up since 4am, I set my alarm clock to wake me every hour in anticipation of a KP5 forecast for the night.
"I woke up at 2.30am on my own and spotted green hues from the car window.
"I hurried out, shooting frantically to seize the opportunity.
The final image is the photographer's second attempt.
"Initially, I framed the arch from the front down on the rocky shore but I wasn't satisfied with the result," Pellegrini said.
"After a night of running around various locations, at 5am in the morning, I returned to the beach for another composition."
Filip Hrebenda captured this image at Vikten, one of the lesser-known beaches at Lofoten in Norway.
"During low tide at Vikten beach, numerous small pools emerge in the rocky paths carved by the ocean," Hrebenda said.
"So the first crucial step was to wait for the low tide.
"Then, I sought the ideal composition with a foreground pool to create a leading-line effect.
"After a few minutes of searching, I found it."
The next challenge was achieving sharpness in low light conditions.
"To address this, I needed to focus stack the foreground," he said.
"I used six individual shots for focus stacking the foreground to ensure everything was sharp.
"Following that, I had to wait for the ideal aurora shape to improve my composition. I captured several photos and selected the one in which it formed the ideal shape for my composition.
"This allowed the aurora itself to become a part of the leading lines, resembling green snakes."
Photographer Richard Zheng observed the aurora from the peninsula of Dunedin in New Zealand.
This proved to be a perfect place to take in the sights and get some photos.
"It not only has very little light pollution but there are many bays facing south, which is ideal to capture the Aurora Australis," Zheng said.
"This was the first time I had the opportunity to take photos of the Aurora and emission nebulae using a special camera for astrophotography.
"In this photo, you can see the Large Magellanic Cloud in the upper right corner.
"The red mass in the upper left corner of the picture is the Colloidal Nebula, and extending down is the Carina Nebula."
Paul Wilson took this image from Camp Saddle at Canterbury in New Zealand.
"After a challenging hike with 30 kilos of equipment, I was delighted when the aurora made an appearance," Wilson said.
"The large and small Magellanic clouds can also be seen; these are galaxies visible only from the southern hemisphere."