A Bahraini teenager who braved Arctic conditions to capture images of one of the world's most spectacular sights has won an international photography competition.

Sixteen-year-old Jathin Narayanan fought off around 400 entrants to win the title of Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year for a picture of the aurora borealis.

The amateur photographer took the snap of the phenomenon, also known as the Northern Lights, during a week-long trip to the Arctic with his father Premjith last January.

It is the fourth consecutive year he has won the award from the London-based Royal Observatory Greenwich, making him a record holder in its under 16s category.

Focus

"Getting these photos was not easy and very risky since we had to travel to the Arctic in winter," said Narayanan.

"It was minus 40 there and when we got there the tour guide almost didn't let my son come stating that it was too dangerous, but we were determined to go. They made me sign a few clauses stating that I assumed responsibility.”

"It was freezing especially for us, since we are tropical people and it was so hard to focus.”

"At least 80 per cent of the time we were focused on the cold until we got lucky.”

"A great thing happened while we were there. There was a solar storm that made the aurora dance faster than it usually does and it was that which gave us the great edge we needed to get the great shots."

Competition judges praised Jathin's talent following his winning entry.

"This young photographer has skillfully framed the streaming, swirling patters of the Northern Lights with treetops below and a starry sky above," they said.

"In the centre of the image, Orion the hunter is just visible through the bright auroral display. Taurus the bull and the bright Pleiades star cluster are seen in the clear area to the upper right." – TradeArabia News Service