This weekend in the Northern Hemisphere, skywatchers travelled as far south as the Bahamas to observe auroras. Known as aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights), these spectacular cosmic displays are caused by the influence of the Sun.

The Sun plays an active role in the solar system and its influence on the planets is manifested in events such as storms, flares and sunspots. Solar storms, such as Coronal Mass Ejections, eject giant clouds of magnetised solar particles into space, and as they move towards the Earth they can cause geomagnetic disturbances, resulting in spectacular visual spectacles such as auroras.

This image, taken near Malad City, Idaho, shows a dramatic night sky scene illuminated by the aurora. A tree and its branches are silhouetted against the aurora, which glows in red, purple and green colours, while streaks of light dance across the sky like folds of curtains. The landscape is accompanied by the silhouette of a car and a road curving towards the mountainous horizon, creating a spectacular atmosphere. These natural beauties look like a painting punctuated by white stars in the sky.