Your Scene: Northern lights in Fairbanks, Alaska

Times reader “jkunimoto” shot this photo of the aurora borealis, also known as the northern lights, during a trip to Fairbanks, Alaska. “I was not able to see the aurora at its fullest, but I was still happy to see something,” she said.

Aurora borealis occur when atomic particles in the Earth’s upper atmosphere strike atoms. This interaction causes light of varying wavelengths to be released, producing bands of color in a zone around the North Pole. The effect may be magnified during solar activity, such as during the solar flare in February.

View past photos we’ve featured. To upload your own, visit our reader travel photo gallery. When you upload your photo, tell us where it was taken and when. The more we know about the photo, the more likely it is that we’ll feature it in our daily “Your Scene” posts here. To help us credit you properly, please include your name and city of residence.

-- Jason La