Man-made wonders are impressive – the Taj Mahal and Stonehenge fill us with pride. But seeing the natural world at its most awesome puts us in our place. Instead of the usual natural wonders – places such as the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest and the Great Barrier Reef – we are highlighting natural phenomena. Not places to go, but things to see, from chasing storms and desert super-blooms to meteor showers and the aurora borealis lighting up the night’s sky. Here’s a month-by-month guide to the world’s most spectacular natural phenomena. Because the planet at its most powerful is the stuff of travel dreams.