Kristian Batge, The Green Curtain (January theme: Green)

It's hard to describe the feeling of capturing your first Aurora Australis. In northern Tasmania most auroras, if visible to the naked eye at all, appear only as a vague greyish green glow dancing on the horizon. There is more than a small element of blind hope involved as you find a southerly aspect and frame your shot in the dark. The explosion of colour on the back of the camera if conditions are in your favour is an experience not quickly forgotten. This aurora, captured from Evandale in Tasmania's north, had a particularly strong green curtain that pulsed on the horizon long into the night. Canon 7D ISO 2000 | 12 mm | f/3.5 | 30 sec

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.