Enonteki Pins and Buttons

The sun sets over the frame of a kota (a Sami teepee) outside Galdotieva in the remote northwestern province of Enontekiö.

A swirling green and purple aurora appearing just behind the trees that line Lake Palojärvi in northwestern Finland.

I was lucky enough to see auroral coronas on two different occasions -- first during the St. Patrick's Day geomagnetic storm, and then again during another storm on March 29. Unfortunately I had a very wobbly tripod -- a replacement that couldn't handle the weight of my D700 and 24-70 f/2.8 lens, but it could lock in place which was more than my original (and stuck) tripod head could do -- so this was one of the few shots I was able to aim at the sky with any result at all.

The aurora seemingly emanating from one of the cabins at Galdotieva, near the Norwegian border in Enontekiö, Finland. Even under the full moon, the northern lights completely lit up the sky in green.

White blankets the forests and the wide expanse of Lake Palojärvi beyond. Finnish Lapland is such a magical place in winter.