Northern Lights over a stranded boat in Tasiilaq, Greenland

© Shane P. White/Minden Picture

Emerald skies over Greenland. Tasiilaq, Greenland

It's said that the Viking explorer Erik the Red gave Greenland its deceptively pleasant name to draw unwitting settlers to the snowy subcontinent. It wasn’t a total fib, though: Greenland can turn very green indeed, when the Aurora Borealis reflects off its glaciers. This verdant display was captured in Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the island's east coast. Although Tasiilaq is home to fewer than 2,000 people, it's one of Greenland's fastest-growing towns. And regular flights from Iceland’s capital city Reykjavik, about 500 miles to the east, occasionally bring in the tourists – as long as they don’t mind the cold.