The Northern Lights are effortlessly one of Earth's most visually striking natural spectacles.

北極光是地球上比較容易見到的最壯觀的自然現(xiàn)象之一。

But when they shine over an eruption at the Icelandic volcano, the results are stunning, as these pictures show.

但是，如果北極光恰好出現(xiàn)在正在噴發(fā)的冰島火山上空，那么這景象就如照片所現(xiàn)，可謂驚艷絕人。

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

天空中紫色和藍色的光輝與來自冰帽之下的艾雅法拉火山黃色和紅色巖漿相輝應(yīng)，形成了一道奪目的壯觀景象。

Photographer James Appleton, 23, from Cambridge, risked his life trekking solo to the area and captured these incredible shots.

來自英國劍橋的23歲攝影師詹姆斯-阿普爾頓冒著生命的危險獨自深入火山噴發(fā)區(qū)，捕捉到令人難以置信的壯觀畫面。

The Cambridge University graduate spent five days observing the first phase of the eruption from a shack in nearby Fimmvorouhals mountain pass.

這位劍橋大學畢業(yè)生躲在附近費姆勞哈斯山谷中的一個小屋子里，用了五天時間觀測火山的第一輪噴發(fā)。

He spent seven hours battling biting wind and freezing temperatures to get as close to the eruption as possible, against the advice of local guides.

頂著凜冽刺骨的寒風，阿普爾不顧當?shù)叵驅(qū)У膭窀妫仙媪似邆€小時就是為了盡可能接近火山的噴發(fā)區(qū)。

Despite being trapped inside a shack there for 48 hours, Mr Appleton managed to trek within 100ft of the volcano.

雖然在小屋里被困48小時，阿普爾頓最終還是艱難到達距離火山100英里以內(nèi)的地方。

He said he was 'impressed' with his shots of the vibrant lava flowing down the mountain.

據(jù)阿普爾頓介紹，他印象最深的就是看到熾熱的巖漿滾滾向山下流去。

Mr Appleton said: 'It was definitely the highlight of my photographic career so far and something I will never forget.'

阿普爾頓說，“這是迄今為止，我攝影職業(yè)生涯中最精彩的經(jīng)歷。我永遠不會忘記?！?/div>

'To be stood right in the action and watching the volcano spew out lava and growling with the peaceful Northern Lights flickering was just incredible.'

“你在看到滾滾的巖漿激烈地噴出的同時，火山上空平和的北極光也在閃爍生輝，這樣的場景真的難以置信。”

'I had little more than three hours of sleep every night because I was just so determined to capture as much as I could.'

“每天晚上我睡眠的時間不超過三個小時，因為我決心要盡可能地捕捉到更多神奇、壯觀的場面。”

'I have never been physically trapped by weather conditions before but it was completely worth it for the dramatic results.'

“我沒有被當?shù)氐臍夂驐l件所困擾，我認為為了這戲劇性的攝影成果，值得。”

The Eyjafjallaj?kull eruption grounded flights across the UK and Europe in April after a cloud of volcanic ash which could damage jet engines drifted across the area.

四月份，艾雅法拉火山噴發(fā)造成了英國和歐洲其他多個國家航空癱瘓，因為火山噴發(fā)出來的火山灰云可能會引起飛機引擎故障。

Scientists say 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.

科學家解釋說，北極光是一種由太陽超高溫大氣層所引起的自然現(xiàn)象。來自太陽的帶電粒子闖入地球周圍的保護性磁場后，地球磁場迫使它們向南北兩極運動。

About 60 to 200 miles overhead, the particles bump into the Earth's atmosphere and become electrically 'excited' - throwing off light of various colours.

在大約60到200英里（約合97到322公里）高的高空，這些帶電粒子闖入地球大氣層并被激活，從而釋放出各種顏色的光芒。

Although the phenomenon occurs around the clock, the lights are only visible at night.

盡管這種現(xiàn)象每時每刻都會發(fā)生，但只有在夜間才可能看得到這種彩色光芒。

The best time of year to see them is during winter, when darkness in the upper latitudes stretches up to 24 hours.

一年中觀測極光的最佳時間是在冬季，因為高緯度地區(qū)的每個黑夜最長會持續(xù)24小時。

（中文源自：新浪科技）