The sky

In "Love and a Question" by Robert Frost, the poet writes "Let us look at the sky, And question what of the night to be, Stranger, you and I." There may or may not be answers there for us or for Frost's bridegroom, but the simple pleasure of gazing skyward is a profitable pursuit. Photographers have chosen the sky as a subject for as long as the camera has existed. Atmospheric and celestial phenomenon create an endless canvas for hungry eyes. -- Lane Turner (23 photos total)

The sunset animates the sky on February 1, 2013 in Rustenburg, South Africa. (Alexander Joe/AFP/Getty Images)

A vivd lightning storm passes over Dorchester Bay in Boston on July 24, 2012. (Globe Staff/Jim Davis) #

The aurora borealis, or northern lights, glow near Tromsoe, Norway on January 24, 2012. (Rune Stoltz Bertinussen/SCANPIX/Associated Press) #

A fishing boat motors during a sunset in Mazatlan, Mexico on December 27, 2012. (Stringer/Reuters) #

A sky lantern is launched in Zagreb on December 20, 2012. The event "Kapulica & Lanterns" involves people releasing about a thousand lanterns to symbolize sending wishes to the universe. (Antonio Bronic/Reuters) #

Horses race down the back straight in The Castle Hotel In Taunton 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle Race at Taunton racecourse on January 7, 2013 in Taunton, England. (Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images) #

A noctilucent cloud, a rare super high altitude cloud barely visible from Earth, floats at dawn in the mesosphere in a photograph made the from International Space Station by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on January 6, 2012. (Chris Hadfield/NASA/Canadian Press/Associated Press) #

Newfoundland and Labrador lie under clouds in a photograph made the from International Space Station by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on January 7, 2012. (Chris Hadfield/NASA/Canadian Press/Associated Press) #

A storm formation tinged with red dust travels across the Indian Ocean near Onslow on the Western Australia coast on January 9, 2013. (Brett Martin/fishwrecked.com/Reuters) #

People enjoy the seafront at Galle face green in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 6, 2012. (Philip Brown/Reuters) #

Dark clouds cover the sky in downtown Shanghai on August 6, 2012. (Aly Song/Reuters) #

People stand on the Arabian Sea coast after sunset in Mumbai on November 1, 2012. (Rajesh Kumar Singh/Associated Press) #

A meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Geminid meteor shower on December 13, 2012, near Lafayette, Ind. The meteors radiate from the region of sky containing the constellation Gemini. (Michael Heinz/Journal & Courier/Associated Press) #

A lightning bolt flashes on the horizon over the River Plate off the coast of Montevideo, Uruguay on December 29, 2012. (Mariana Suarez/AFP/Getty Images) #

Heavy clouds cover the skies over Beirut on January 7, 2013. (Joseph Eid/AFP/Getty Images) #

An Ultra orthodox Jewish man looks at a rainbow over the Mediterranean sea in Tel Aviv on January 9, 2013. (Oded Balilty/Associated Press) #

Clearing skies await a tripod-toting photographer looking for a spot to capture the early-morning light at Portland Head Light on January 17, 2013, in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) #

With the temperature at minus 6 degrees Fahrenheit, steam vapors from the Sappi paper mill dissipate into the early morning sky in Westrbook, Maine on January 24, 2013. (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) #

An atmospheric phenomenon known as a "sun dog" appears in the sky in Fort Ann, New York on January 25, 2013. The halo around the sun is caused by the refraction of sunlight by small ice crystals in the atmosphere. (Gary Hershorn/Reuters) #

The San Gabriel Mountains loom in the background during cloud cover over the Los Angeles skyline on January 26, 2013. (Adrees Latif/Reuters) #

The full moon rising over the Chugach Mountains behind Anchorage, Alaska, is reflected in the waters of Cook Inlet on January 26, 2012. (Dan Joling/Associated Press) #

A surfer takes on the large swells as storm clouds gather at Coogee Beach after winds and rain battered Sydney on January 29, 2013. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images) #

A cyclist pedals during severe pollution in Tiananmen Square on January 29, 2013 in Beijing. (Feng Li/Getty Images) #