20 Breathtaking Photos of the Northern Lights That Will Give You Serious Wanderlust

The northern lights (or aurora borealis) are widely known as one of Mother Nature's most beautiful works of art and deserving of an entry on anyone's adventure bucket list. In order to catch the celestial light show in action, light gazers must travel above the Earth's magnetic poles to countries like Iceland, Greenland, Canada, and Norway — though there was a rare moment in 2020 when the northern lights were visible from the US, stretching from Washington to northern Iowa and across to upstate Maine. If international travel isn't in your immediate future — or you're still debating whether to put this natural wonder on your bucket list — these breathtaking photos of the northern lights will make you want to book a trip as soon as you possibly can.