Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2018/11/18
Creature Aurora Over Norway
Image credits: Ole C. Salomonsen (Arctic Light Photo)
It was Halloween and the sky looked like a creature. Exactly which creature, the astrophotographer was unsure but (possibly you can suggest one). Exactly what caused this eerie apparition in 2013 was sure: one of the best auroral displays in recent years. This spectacular aurora had an unusually high degree of detail. Pictured here, the vivid green and purple auroral colors are caused by high atmospheric oxygen and nitrogen reacting to a burst of incoming electrons. Birch trees in Troms, Norway formed an also eerie foreground. Recently, new photogenic auroras have accompanied new geomagnetic storms.
Authors & editors: Robert J. nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry T. Bonnell (UMCP)
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