Why do the Northern Lights never look as good as in the photographs?

Photograph of an astrophotographer, standing with his camera against the star-packed night sky, set against a photograph of the Northern Lights.

Last week, thousands of people in the US and UK were lucky enough to see the ethereal Northern Lights, also known as the Aurora Borealis, delighting sky-watchers across the globe. But with the widespread observation of the phenomenon came the inevitable question: why didn't it look as good in reality as it does in photos?

The Lights were visible in the night sky after one of the strongest geomagnetic storms for years hit planet Earth, with the highest rating of G5. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a rare solar storm warning, which last happened in October 2003.