Check it out: Photographer captures stunning images of the northern lights

Matt's photography provides a front-row seat to nature's greatest light show.

On any given night, if the conditions are just right, you may be able to look up into the night sky and see colourful splashes of light dance across the night sky.

It's the aurora borealis or Northern Lights, and if you've never seen them in person, Matt Robinson's photography is the next best thing.

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Courtesy: Matt Robinson/Instagram.

A few years ago, he got word the lights would be on display about an hour from his home in the U.K.

"So I went up the coast with my nephew, got the camera out, took a picture, and across the sky, there was this green band," he says.

"It was grey in the sky, but on camera, it appeared green. From then on, I was hooked."

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He started by using an entry-level camera and invested in better equipment as his love for the hobby grew. Now, he is documenting his chases on Instagram.

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Courtesy: Matt Robinson/Instagram.

Matt's love of the auroras has taken him all over, from Sweden to Finland, to Norway.

The lights look a little different, depending on where you are in the world.

"When you see the northern lights from northern Scandinavia or Canada, you see it for real," he says.

RELATED: Best places in Canada to see the Northern Lights

In southern parts of North America and in the U.K., the lights appear more muted in the sky, Robinson says.

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Courtesy: Matt Robinson/Instagram.

"In Finland, that's where I saw them for real for the first time," he recalls.

"And ever since then, I've just wanted to live under the northern lights."

WHAT ARE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS?

Northern Lights -- or Aurora borealis -- occur when solar particles collide with the Earth's atmosphere. Their colour variety results from the presence of different types of gas particles in the atmosphere as well as the wavelength of light that's emitted, according to NASA.

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Courtesy: Matt Robinson/Instagram.

Two of the most common elements in the Earth's atmosphere -- oxygen and nitrogen -- create different types of northern lights. Oxygen is responsible for green and yellowish-green auroras. Blue, purple and reddish-purple auroras are rare in comparison. They're created with the help of nitrogen.

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Visit our Complete Guide to Winter 2021 for an in depth look at the Winter Forecast, Canada's ski season, and tips to plan for everything ahead!


You can see the Northern Lights – or Aurora borealis – year-round in Canada, but the best time to spot them is in the winter.

That’s because December through March offers some of the darkest skies of the year, and auroras are the easiest to spot in low light.