Time Lapse Video Catches Amazing Views of the Northern Lights

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j36Erxd5rc

There's plenty of time lapse photography out there but here's a clip that captures something you definitely don't see every day—the aurora borealis, the Northern Lights. Entrepreneur and artist Nate Bolt captured the rare atmospheric phenomenon during a flight from San Francisco to Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport.

Bolt had a whole row to himself to set up his tripod and camera—he admits the "photos during take-off and landing are all computer models"—so he didn't violate FAA rules. He set his camera to capture a photo every two miles, and as you'll see, the video shows plenty of clouds and snow on the ground. While that's pretty, the real gorgeousness starts at the 1:07 mark after night falls and the camera begins to capture the amazing visuals of the Northern Lights.

We should also say that Bolt just seems like a great guy, taking the time in his YouTube explanation to thank his "neighbors for not minding an SLR click every 2 to 30 seconds for 11 hours" and "the whole Air France flight crew for being insanely friendly and allowing me to shoot."