What kind of clouds are these?

Whitehorse, Yukon's only city and the largest in northern Canada, will have just seven hours of daylight today - but nature has a way of compensating the locals. The area enjoys frequent and spectacular light shows, thanks to the aurora borealis. The mechanics of northern lights are still not fully understood, but scientists agree that solar winds (big pulses of energy from our sun) pass through the Earth's magnetic fields, especially at the polar regions, resulting in shimmering colours. The nearby mountains help facilitate another unusual phenomenon: lenticular clouds. These lens-shape clouds usually develop on the downwind side of a mountain range, and we think they add an otherworldly element to our image.

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The glacial beauty of Kluane National Park

Home to Canada’s highest mountain, largest ice field, glaciers and a sizeable population of grizzly bears, the alpine grandeur of Kluane National Park and Reserve has plenty to offer the intrepid hiker. This vast wilderness, high in the south western corner of Yukon Territory, is home to 17 of Canada’s 20 highest peaks – including the biggest, Mount Logan, at 19,550ft (5,959m) high.

Its topography ranges from alpine tundra with colourful Arctic blooms at higher elevations, to aspen, poplar and spruce in the lush lower valleys. Wildlife thrives here and consists of large numbers of the park’s trademark Dall sheep, as well as caribou, grizzlies and black bears. At 8,499 sq miles, the park forms part of one of the world's largest protected areas and was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in 1979.

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Where's this island castle?

Our homepage castle might look like something out of a fairy tale but it can be found in one of the larger islands of Lake Galvé in the historic Lithuanian city of Trakai. Construction on this fortress was started in the 14th century by the Grand Duke of Lithuania and completed years later by his son. It served as a strategic and bustling centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a former European state. Like much architecture from so long ago, the castle was damaged and fell into disrepair, only to be reconstructed and reopened as a museum. These days it’s known as one of Europe’s most striking medieval castles.

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What formed these arches?

Las Catedrales (The Cathedrals, or As Catedrais in Galician) is one of the most beautiful and mysterious beaches in northern Spain. It’s on the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route and its real name is Aguas Santas (Holy Waters) beach. It’s known as Las Catedrales because its arches, thought to have been carved by the action of salty water and wind over millions of years, look like the buttresses of a Catholic church.

However some geologists have argued that these arches and caves are not entirely natural but are the remains of an ancient Roman gold mine and believe certain formations suggest they were created by men, rather than nature. What is unarguable is that Las Catedrales offers breath-taking views of the Galician coast, either from the beach or from the top of its 98ft (30m) cliffs.

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Which hit TV show filmed here?

This ancient stone footbridge connects the tiny island of Gaztelugatxe to the mainland of northern Spain in Basque Country. Two hundred and forty-one steps lead up to a small Basque church, dating from the 10th century. But we're not here for the stunning view alone. This location added some real-life majesty to last season's Game of Thrones TV series, when it stood in for the mythical Dragonstone. It’s the spot where – spoiler alert if you’re lagging behind – Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow are plotting how to defeat the Night King and his swarming army of the dead. Though Daenerys is also keeping her eye on a point south – the Iron Throne. Will she succeed? We’ll just have to watch.

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Where's this wintry scene?

Winter hits Kuhmo hard, but it sure is beautiful. The town, which lies in an area that borders Russia, was under Swedish and Russian rule in centuries past, but is now proudly Finnish. The boreal forests in this region are home to wolves and bears as well as the rare, and rarely seen, Finnish forest reindeer, who forage among the trees.

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Where's lighting up the hillside?

Artist Bruce Munro was camping at Uluru (the Australian monolith formerly known as Ayers Rock) with his family in 1992 when he envisioned the art installation on today's homepage. Called Field of Light, it's on display at an arts venue called Sensorio in Paso Robles in the US state of California, the latest stop in a tour of sites around the world. Visitors will find 58,800 solar-powered spheres, lit by optical fibres that change colour.

When the sun sets, the fibres illuminate, creating a shimmering, interactive landscape in the meadow. The art installation changes a bit at each destination, but as Munro puts it: “The one constant is that it does make people smile." For a taste of his work a little closer to home, another Munro light installation, Time and Place, which includes a field of hay bales with moons projected onto them, is on show at Messums Gallery in Wiltshire, until 26 January.

Soirce: Bing

Where are these ancient stories?

We’re marking the winter solstice here on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, where the 5,000-year-old Callanish Stones (or Calanais Stones in Gaelic), provide an atmospheric backdrop as the sun rises and sets on the shortest day of the year. There’s some debate about why these Scottish megaliths, which predate Stonehenge by at least two millennia, are there in the first place. But whether they were intended as an astronomical observatory or a place of rituals and religious observances, they are a great place to watch the sun, moon and, on occasion, the Northern Lights.

One of several prehistoric stone rings in the area, the Callanish Stones were actually buried in peat for thousands of years but were cleared in 1857, to reveal their full Neolithic splendour. If these dark days are getting you down, look on the bright side – tomorrow sees the days start to lengthen and the nights become shorter here in the Northern Hemisphere, as we start our six-month journey to the summer solstice.

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Where is this key whirlpool?

This frozen scene might be a picture of tranquility right now but once the snow melts in northern Finland's Oulanka National Park, this gentle swirl will turn into deafening rapids, hosting rafters and waterfall-seekers. But there's plenty of time to enjoy the winter calm, as the region's wintery cold regularly stretches into April or May. The partly frozen whirlpool churns near Myllykoski, a defunct mill which is now a resting point along Finland's busiest nature trail, Karhunkierros. The 50-mile route begins more than 500 miles north of Helsinki, with midsummer hikers enjoying treks lit by the midnight sun. For determined skiers and intrepid types in snowshoes, portions of the trail remain open through the freezing winter. Not feeling it? Chill at home instead with a hot drink and enjoy this wintery scene from afar.

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