Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Watching the aurora borealis (in the Northern Hemisphere) or aurora australis (in the Southern Hemisphere) is unforgettable. Photographing them is on a whole other level. Capturing these ribbons of light as they move and twist across the night sky transforms even the darkest winter night into a surreal wonderland. In 2025, the aurora provided some most intense displays of the current solar cycle. While solar maximum has now peaked, geomagnetic activity has remained exceptionally strong. The eighth edition of The Northern Lights Photographer of the Year brings together 25 most extraordinary aurora images captured around the world over the past year. Twelve of this year’s stunning winners are sampled below. (Click to expand images to full screen.) Lights and Ice by Tori Harp. Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, New Zealand. “I originally found this ice cave, called a moulin, 8 months prior to setting up this shot in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Glaciers are a very dynamic environment, so I kept going …