APOD
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.
Creature Aurora Over Norway
Explanation: 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 the eerie apparition was sure: one of the best auroral displays in recent memory. This spectacular aurora had an unusually high degree of detail . Pictured above , 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 . Many other photogenic auroras have been triggered by recent energetic flares on the Sun.
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| Date | November 6, 2013 |
|---|---|
| Credit | Image Credit & Copyright: Ole C. Salomonsen ( Arctic Light Photo ) |
| Authors & editors: | Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) |
| A service of: |
ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U. |
