Northern lights over a stranded boat in Tasiilaq, Greenland
© Shane P. White/Minden Picture
Is this place named for the aurora's glow?. Tasiilaq, Greenland
It's said that Erik the Red gave Greenland its deceptively pleasant name to draw unwitting settlers to the snowy subcontinent. The Viking leader wasn't totally fibbing, though: Greenland can turn pretty darn green as aurora borealis gives the glaciers a glow-up.
This verdant display was captured in Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the island's east coast. Though Tasiilaq is home to fewer than 2,000 people, it's one of Greenland's fastest-growing towns. Plus, regular plane hops from Reykjavik, Iceland—about 800 kilometres east—add the occasional cold-tolerant tourist to the population.
Related Images
An old farm in the Shetland Islands, Scotland
La Digue, an island in the Seychelles
Cefalù on Mediterranean Sea in Sicily, Italy
Firefall at Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California
For Waitangi Day, the Pancake Rocks on New Zealand’s South Island
Bioluminescent algae along the shores of the Matsu Islands off the coast of Taiwan
Shoreline near Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada
Wildflowers in bloom at Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona
Bing Today Images
Vale of Clwyd, Wales
Jan 13, 2026
Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii
Jan 13, 2024
Cape Spear Lighthouse near St. John’s, Newfoundland
Jan 13, 2018
