I've never seen northern lights in person. My mother once told me that I did as a child in Iowa, but I have no memory of it. From the start, this slot canyon picture reminded me of the images of northern lights that I've seen in other online galleries. While not sunspot related like the aurora borealis, the swirling lines of different colors in this image have their genesis in the sun nonetheless. It's the shadow and varying degrees of reflected sunlight that gives the different hues. I'm always a bit surprised at how the camera's view of the colors differs so much from the brown/tan sandstone that is the rock's natural color.