It's been a banner year for auroral displays, as seen from Earth as well as from space. This time-lapse view of the northern lights in Finnish Lapland has to rank as one of the year's more stellar compilations. The video was produced by Flatlight Films as a travel come-on for Visit Finland. The views were captured from several locations, using DSLR cameras with remote pan/tilt heads. For the full effect, go full-screen HD on the YouTube video (or the Vimeo version).

If this puts you in the mood to visit Finland, check out Travel+Leisure's recommendation for a romantic hotel in Lapland (which also made Concierge.com's list of off-the-grid resorts. But if you'd rather watch the northern lights from your computer chair, check out SpaceWeather.com's aurora gallery or the Canadian Space Agency's AuroraMAX webcam. Come to think of it, you can check out these links as well:

• Red sky at night ... astronaut's delight
• Fly over the southern lights
• Beautiful blasts from solar storms
• Northern lights caught on video
• Southern lights are sweeter in space
• From U.S. to Paris with the northern lights
• 2010's greatest hits from the aurora 
• Month in Space: Still more beautiful blasts

The music for the video is by the Finnish group CC33. Tip o' the Log to Bad Astronomy's Phil Plait and Universe Today's Nancy Atkinson.

Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter or adding me to your Google+ circle. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for other worlds.