Stunning Photographs of Northern Lights Over Erupting Icelandic Volcano

23 year old Photographer James Appleton from Cambridge risked his life trekking solo to the site of the volcano to capture these incredible shots. Well worth it I'd say. Despite the warnings from local guides, Appleton spent seven hours battling biting wind and freezing temperatures to get as close to the eruption as possible. He managed to get within a 100 feet of the active volcano

"watching the volcano spew out lava and growling with the peaceful Northern Lights flickering was just incredible." ~ Appleton
[via DailyMailUK]

Purple and blue lights in the sky contrast with bright yellow and red lava flowing from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, erupting from beneath its ice cap.

The Northern Lights, a natural phenomenon called aurora borealis, is created by the sun's super hot atmosphere, which blasts particles into the protective magnetic field surrounding the Earth.
The magnetic field forces the particles toward the north and south poles.
About 60 to 200 miles overhead, the particles bump into the Earth's atmosphere and become electrically 'excited' - throwing off light of various colours.
Although the phenomenon occurs around the clock, the lights are only visible at night.
The best time of year to see them is during winter, when darkness in the upper latitudes stretches up to 24 hours.