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Farewell to 2014: Aurora Sets the Northern Skies Aglow

Some celebrate the New Year with fireworks or falling balls of light, but in northern climes, the sky itself is putting on a show to mark 2014's end.
Image: Swedish aurora
Members of a photo tour group get in on an eye-catching auroral show at Sweden's Abisko National Park on Dec. 28.Chad Blakley / Lights Over Lapland

Some celebrate the New Year with fireworks or falling balls of light, but in far northern climes, the sky itself is putting on a show to mark the end of 2014. Lights Over Lapland's Chad Blakley sent along time-lapse imagery of the auroral glow over Sweden's Abisko National Park, captured on Dec. 28 during a group photo shoot.

"When we looked up, we were absolutely blown away by what we saw," Blakley wrote in an email. "I had been so preoccupied during the walk that I did not notice the fact that five large bands of green, purple and pink auroras were dancing overhead. As you can imagine, we thoroughly enjoyed the next several hours!"

The show is far from over: SpaceWeather.com reported a 45 percent chance of polar geomagnetic storms on New Year's Eve. To get in on the spectacle, check in with SpaceWeather.com's aurora gallery, NOAA's Ovation aurora forecast ... and the Lights Over Lapland website and Facebook page. Have a Glowing New Year!