Northern lights dazzle Northern Hemisphere

A spectacular solar event over the weekend provided a stunning showing of the northern lights, or aurora borealis. This image by Stefan Ingvar Gudmundsson from Iceland captures the lights appearing to curl around the Snaefellsjokull glacier.

Iceland, due to its northern location, dark winters and lack of light pollution, is perfectly equipped to see the best of the northern lights, as shown in this stunning photo by Kristjan S Kristjansson, shot from Lake Kleifarvatn on the Reykjanes Peninsula.

The lights of the Icelandic village of Olafsvik are dwarfed by the northern lights in another image from Gudmundsson.

"It's always a big 'wow' but last night was overwhelming," Gudmundsson said. "The night sky was totally electrifying, with aurora everywhere."

Halldor Sigurdsson drove a couple miles outside the capital, Reykjavik, to get the best shots.

"They were all over the sky, I kept moving the car to get more pictures," Sigurdsson said. "A busload of tourists came and they certainly got their money's worth."

2013 has proved a bumper year for sightings of the northern lights, due to a peak in the 11-year solar cycle. In this image taken earlier this month by Jim Halfpenny in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, they appear to float above some stones.

HIDE CAPTION

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

Aurora borealis in fine form

<<

<

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

>

>>

(CNN) -- They are one of nature's most spectacular sites: The aurora borealis, or northern lights as they are known, have captivated onlookers for thousands of years.

This past weekend saw a particularly stunning display following a phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection, where the sun spews a burst of particles into space that reach Earth one to three days later.

Bursts toward earth can cause electromagnetic storms when they react with the Earth's magnetic field, resulting in an explosion of color in the sky.

"We see them regularly, but they were quite spectacular [Sunday] night ," said Halldor Sigurdsson from Iceland, who captured some of the display. "A busload of tourists came and they certainly got their money's worth."

Meanwhile in the tiny Icelandic fishing village of Ólafsvík, photographer, tour guide and occasional fisherman Stefán Ingvar Guðmundsson spent three hours driving around the beautiful Snæfellsjökull glacier near his home to take photos.

"It's always a big 'wow,' but last night was overwhelming," he said Monday.

The northern lights have been particularly spectacular in 2013 as the sun is expected to reach the peak of its 11-year solar cycle later this year.