Eclipses in mythology and culture

from Contributors to Wikimedia projects

Eclipses of the Sun and of the Moon have been described by nearly every culture. In cultures without an astronomical explanation, eclipses were often attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens.
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Religious and cultural practices

While solar and lunar eclipses are today understood astronomically as one celestial body shadowing another, their appearance from Earth does not intuitively belie a similar cause for each.
Mark Littmann, Fred Espenak, and Ken Willcox classified solar eclipse mythologies into four distinct genres:

+ A celestial being (usually a monster) attempts to destroy the Sun.
+ The Sun fights with its lover the Moon.
+ The Sun and Moon make love and discreetly hide themselves in darkness.
+ The Sun god grows angry, sad, sick, or neglectful.
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Abrahamic religions

In the Talmud, solar eclipses are described as ill omens and several events in the Hebrew Bible are said to have occurred during eclipses. Judaism at large has been accepting of the modern astronomical explanation of eclipses and today many rabbis consider eclipses to be reminders of divinity and a time for prayer and introspection.
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The periodicity of lunar eclipses been deduced by Neo-Babylonian astronomers in the sixth century BCE and the periodicity of solar eclipses was deduced in first century BCE by Greek astronomers, who developed the Antikythera mechanism and had understood the Sun, Moon, and Earth to be spherical celestial bodies since Aristotle. The astronomical understanding of eclipses was thus well understood in the Ancient Near East in which Christianity developed.
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The New Testament describes the sky as darkening for hours during the crucifixion of Jesus. As the event's lengthy duration and occurrence on the day of a ...
Read more
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipses_in_mythology_and_culture#

#space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature #Space_Culture_Club

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An illustration from al-Biruni's astronomical works that explains the different phases of the moon, with respect to the position of the Sun. CREDIT Al-Biruni (973-1048) Scanned from: Seyyed Hossein Nasr (1976) Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study, World of Islam Festival Publishing Company ISBN 090503502X

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French Jesuits observing an eclipse with King Narai and his court in April 1688, shortly before the Siamese revolution CREDIT Françoise Foliot - Private collection Wikimédia France, Paris

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Rahu swallows the Sun, referred to as Rahukalam Important Hinduism Mythology Indonesia - Balinese - Javanese Wayang Painting, Triad deity "Rahu - Hanuman - Ketu -" swallow the Sun - Moon, ink - watercolor painting on cotton, source is a property of my asian art collection CREDIT King muh

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Drawing of Columbus' prediction of the March 1504 lunar eclipse to the native Jamaicans CREDIT Camille Flammarion - Astronomie Populaire 1879, p231 fig. 86

2020 April 5

Color the Universe! 🎨
* Image Credit: Unknown

Explanation:
Wouldn't it be fun to color in the universe? If you think so, please accept this famous astronomical illustration as a preliminary substitute. You, your friends, your parents or children, can print it out or even color it digitally. While coloring, you might be interested to know that even though this illustration has appeared in numerous places over the past 100 years, the actual artist remains unknown. Furthermore, the work has no accepted name -- can you think of a good one? The illustration, first appearing in a book by Camille Flammarion in 1888, is used frequently to show that humanity's present concepts are susceptible to being supplanted by greater truths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flammarion_engraving
https://www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3329
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zp60ODhbb4
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k408619m/f4.image
https://books.google.com/books?id=ScDVAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA163
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Flammarion
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap010101.html

https://www.thecolor.com/Category/Coloring/Planets.aspx
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832

For Your Contribution:
http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=200405

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200405.html

#Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature

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2020 April 5 See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Color the Universe * Image Credit: Unknown Explanation: Wouldn't it be fun to color in the universe? If you think so, please accept this famous astronomical illustration as a preliminary substitute. You, your friends, your parents or children, can print it out or even color it digitally. While coloring, you might be interested to know that even though this illustration has appeared in numerous places over the past 100 years, the actual artist remains unknown. Furthermore, the work has no accepted name -- can you think of a good one? The illustration, first appearing in a book by Camille Flammarion in 1888, is used frequently to show that humanity's present concepts are susceptible to being supplanted by greater truths. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

@futurebird

"Thank you for accompanying me through space and time!
We are 100 now .. ok with me 101 that's worth a little celebration, isn't it? "

Comet Between Fireworks and Lightning
* Image Credit & Copyright: Antti Kemppainen

Explanation:
Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. In January 2007, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught. The photogenic comet was so bright that it even remained visible though the din of Earthly flashes. Comet McNaught has now returned to the outer Solar System and is now only visible with a large telescope. The featured image is actually a three photograph panorama digitally processed to reduce red reflections from the exploding firework.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131110.html

#Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature #philosophy #culture #literature

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2013 November 10 Comet Between Fireworks and Lightning * Image Credit & Copyright: Antti Kemppainen Explanation: Sometimes the sky itself is the best show in town. In January 2007, people from Perth, Australia gathered on a local beach to watch a sky light up with delights near and far. Nearby, fireworks exploded as part of Australia Day celebrations. On the far right, lightning from a thunderstorm flashed in the distance. Near the image center, though, seen through clouds, was the most unusual sight of all: Comet McNaught. The photogenic comet was so bright that it even remained visible though the din of Earthly flashes. Comet McNaught has now returned to the outer Solar System and is now only visible with a large telescope. The above image is actually a three photograph panorama digitally processed to reduce red reflections from the exploding firework. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2025 July 18

ISS Meets Saturn
* Image Credit & Copyright: A.J. Smadi
https://www.instagram.com/aj.smadi/

Explanation:
This month, bright planet Saturn rises in evening skies, its rings oriented nearly edge-on when viewed from planet Earth. And in the early morning hours on July 6, it posed very briefly with the International Space Station when viewed from a location in Federal Way, Washington, USA. This well-planned image, a stack of video frames, captures their momentary conjunction in the same telescopic field of view. With the ISS in low Earth orbit, space station and gas giant planet were separated by almost 1.4 billion kilometers. Their apparent sizes are comparable but the ISS was much brighter than Saturn and the ringed planet's brightness has been increased for visibility in the stacked image. Precise timing and an exact location were needed to capture the ISS/Saturn conjunction.
https://www.nasa.gov/spot-the-station/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/observing-our-planet-from-low-earth-orbit/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2507/ISSMeetsSaturn1_1024.jpg

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250718.html

#Space_Culture_Club #space #iss #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomy #nature #NASA

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Image with annotations 2025 July 18 ISS Meets Saturn * Image Credit & Copyright: A.J. Smadi Explanation: This month, bright planet Saturn rises in evening skies, its rings oriented nearly edge-on when viewed from planet Earth. And in the early morning hours on July 6, it posed very briefly with the International Space Station when viewed from a location in Federal Way, Washington, USA. This well-planned image, a stack of video frames, captures their momentary conjunction in the same telescopic field of view. With the ISS in low Earth orbit, space station and gas giant planet were separated by almost 1.4 billion kilometers. Their apparent sizes are comparable but the ISS was much brighter than Saturn and the ringed planet's brightness has been increased for visibility in the stacked image. Precise timing and an exact location were needed to capture the ISS/Saturn conjunction. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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Edited Image of ISS in front of Saturn

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Unedited Image of ISS in front of Saturn.

2015 December 24

Star Colors and Pinyon Pine
* Image Credit & Copyright: Stan Honda
http://www.stanhonda.com/

Explanation:
Beautiful, luminous decorations on this pinyon pine tree are actually bright stars in the constellation Scorpius and the faint glow of the central Milky Way. Captured in June from the north rim of the Grand Canyon of planet Earth, the shallow, close focus image has rendered pine needles on the tree branch sharp, but blurred the distant stars, their light smeared into remarkably colorful disks. Of course, temperature determines the color of a star. Most of the out-of-focus bright stars of Scorpius show a predominately blue hue, their surface temperatures much hotter than the Sun's. Cooler and larger than the Sun, and noticably redder on the scene, is giant star Antares at the heart of the scorpion. In focused, telescopic views the whitish disk at the upper right would be immediately recognizable though, reflecting the Sun's light as ringed gas giant Saturn.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap110211.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap151224.html

#Space_Culture_Club #space_related #astroart #art #photography #science #nature

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2015 December 24 Star Colors and Pinyon Pine * Image Credit & Copyright: Stan Honda Explanation: Beautiful, luminous decorations on this pinyon pine tree are actually bright stars in the constellation Scorpius and the faint glow of the central Milky Way. Captured in June from the north rim of the Grand Canyon of planet Earth, the shallow, close focus image has rendered pine needles on the tree branch sharp, but blurred the distant stars, their light smeared into remarkably colorful disks. Of course, temperature determines the color of a star. Most of the out-of-focus bright stars of Scorpius show a predominately blue hue, their surface temperatures much hotter than the Sun's. Cooler and larger than the Sun, and noticably redder on the scene, is giant star Antares at the heart of the scorpion. In focused, telescopic views the whitish disk at the upper right would be immediately recognizable though, reflecting the Sun's light as ringed gas giant Saturn. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

"After a somewhat clumsy and obviously drunk young man has just vomited on the carpet in the entrance area, in order to enable him to recover quickly, sufficient fresh air was provided and we now make a pleasant fire in the fireplace."

2021 March 3

Stars over an Erupting Volcano
* Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Vella
https://www.instagram.com/Peppe.vella_photography/

Explanation:
Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years. Located in Sicily, Italy, the volcano produces lava fountains over one kilometer high. Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high. Pictured erupting last month, a lava plume shoots upwards, while hot lava flows down the volcano's exterior. Likely satellite trails appear above, while ancient stars dot the sky far in the distance. This volcanic eruption was so strong that nearby airports were closed to keep planes from flying through the dangerous plume. The image foreground and background were captured consecutively by the same camera and from the same location.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210303.html

#space #earth #volcano #NASA #photography #nature #space_related #Space_Culture_Club

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2021 March 3 Stars over an Erupting Volcano * Image Credit & Copyright: Giuseppe Vella Explanation: Mt. Etna has been erupting for hundreds of thousands of years. Located in Sicily, Italy, the volcano produces lava fountains over one kilometer high. Mt. Etna is not only one of the most active volcanoes on Earth, it is one of the largest, measuring over 50 kilometers at its base and rising nearly 3 kilometers high. Pictured erupting last month, a lava plume shoots upwards, while hot lava flows down the volcano's exterior. Likely satellite trails appear above, while ancient stars dot the sky far in the distance. This volcanic eruption was so strong that nearby airports were closed to keep planes from flying through the dangerous plume. The image foreground and background were captured consecutively by the same camera and from the same location. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 May 21

Tardigrade in Moss
* Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of Science / Science Source Images
https://www.sciencesource.com/

Explanation:
Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the candidate. That's because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed, and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230521.html

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animal #tardigrade #aliens #survivor #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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2023 May 21 An usual looking creature is pictured which may appear alien but is actually a Earth-dwelling tardigrade. The tardigrade has no apparent eyes, a light brown body, a circular gear-like snout, and claws at the end of its numerous feet. The tardigrade is seen perched on green moss. Tardigrade in Moss * Image Credit & Copyright: Nicole Ottawa & Oliver Meckes / Eye of Science / Science Source Images Explanation: Is this an alien? Probably not, but of all the animals on Earth, the tardigrade might be the candidate. That's because tardigrades are known to be able to go for decades without food or water, to survive temperatures from near absolute zero to well above the boiling point of water, to survive pressures from near zero to well above that on ocean floors, and to survive direct exposure to dangerous radiations. The far-ranging survivability of these extremophiles was tested in 2011 outside an orbiting space shuttle. Tardigrades are so durable partly because they can repair their own DNA and reduce their body water content to a few percent. Some of these miniature water-bears almost became extraterrestrials in 2011 when they were launched toward to the Martian moon Phobos, and again in 2021 when they were launched toward Earth's own moon, but the former launch failed, and the latter landing crashed. Tardigrades are more common than humans across most of the Earth. Pictured here in a color-enhanced electron micrograph, a millimeter-long tardigrade crawls on moss.

By contributors to Wikimedia projects

Tardigrades,

known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of eight-legged segmented micro-animals. They were first described by the German zoologist Johann August Ephraim Goeze in 1773, who called them Kleiner Wasserbär 'little water bear'. In 1776, the Italian biologist Lazzaro Spallanzani named them Tardigrada, which means 'slow walkers'.

They live in diverse regions of Earth's biosphere – mountaintops, the deep sea, tropical rainforests, and the Antarctic. Tardigrades are among the most resilient animals known, with individual species able to survive extreme conditions – such as exposure to extreme temperatures, extreme pressures (both high and low), air deprivation, radiation, dehydration, and starvation – that would quickly kill most other forms of life. Tardigrades have survived exposure to outer space.

There are about 1,500 known species in the phylum Tardigrada, a part of the superphylum Ecdysozoa. The earliest known fossil is from the Cambrian, some 500 million years ago. They lack several of the Hox genes found in arthropods, and the middle region of the body corresponding to an arthropod's thorax and abdomen. Instead, most of their body is homologous to an arthropod's head.

Tardigrades are usually about 0.5 mm (0.02 in) long when fully grown. They are short and plump, with four pairs of legs, each ending in claws (usually four to eight) or sticky pads. Tardigrades are prevalent in mosses and lichens and can readily be collected and viewed under a low-power microscope, making them accessible to students and amateur scientists. Their clumsy crawling and their well-known ability to survive life-stopping events have brought them into science fiction and popular culture including items of clothing, statues, soft toys and crochet patterns. [...]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animals #tardigrade #aliens #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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Hank explains why NASA and the European Space Agency are in love with tardigrades and how these extremophiles are helping us study the panspermia hypothesis. CREDIT SciShow

Tardigrades in space

From Wikipedia

The use of tardigrades in space, first proposed in 1964 because of their extreme tolerance to radiation, began in 2007 with the FOTON-M3 mission in low Earth orbit, where they were exposed to space's vacuum for 10 days, and reanimated, just by rehydration, back on Earth. In 2011, tardigrades were on board the International Space Station on STS-134. In 2019, a capsule containing tardigrades was on board the Israeli lunar lander Beresheet which crashed on the Moon.

Tardigrades are small arthropods able to tolerate extreme environments. Many live in tufts of moss, such as on rooftops, where they get repeatedly dried out and rewetted. Others live in the Arctic or atop mountains, where they are exposed to cold. When dried, they go into a cryptobiotic 'tun' state in which metabolism is suspended. They have been described as the toughest animals on Earth.
Their DNA is protected from damage, such as by radiation, by Dsup proteins.

In 1964, R.M. May and colleagues proposed that the tardigrade Macrobiotus areolatus would be a suitable model organism for space experiments because of its exceptional radiation tolerance.

In 2001, R. Bertolani and colleagues proposed tardigrades as a model for a study of animal survival in space. As terrestrial experiments on tardigrades proceeded, knowledge of their survival abilities grew, enabling K.I. Jönsson in 2007, and then other researchers such as Daiki Horikawa in 2008 and Roberto Guidetti in 2012, to present evidence that they would resist desiccation, radiation, heat, and cold, suiting them for astrobiological studies.

In 2008, F. Ono and colleagues suggested that tardigrades might be able to survive a journey through space on a meteorite, enabling panspermia, the transfer of life from one planet to another. [...]
More in ALT-Text
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrades_in_space

#space #space_related #earth #photography #science #nature #biology #animal #tardigrade #aliens #survivor #Space_Culture_Club #NASA #ESA

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Video: First Animal to Survive in Space Video Credit: VICE [...] The 2007 FOTON-M3 mission carrying the BIOPAN astrobiology payload (illustrated) exposed tardigrades to vacuum, solar ultraviolet, or both, showing their ability to survive in the space environment. Tardigrades have survived exposure to space. In 2007, dehydrated tardigrades were taken into low Earth orbit on the FOTON-M3 mission carrying the BIOPAN astrobiology payload. For 10 days, in the "Tardigrade Resistance to Space Effects" (TARSE) experiment, groups of Paramacrobiotus richtersi tardigrades, some of them previously dehydrated, some of them not, were exposed to the hard vacuum of space, or vacuum and solar ultraviolet radiation. Back on Earth, more than 68% of the subjects protected from solar ultraviolet radiation were reanimated within 30 minutes following rehydration; although subsequent mortality was high, many produced viable embryos. In contrast, in the "Tardigrades in Space" (TARDIS) experiment, hydrated samples exposed to the combined effect of vacuum and full solar ultraviolet radiation had significantly reduced survival, with only three subjects of Milnesium tardigradum surviving. The space vacuum did not much affect egg-laying in either Richtersius coronifer or M. tardigradum, whereas UV radiation did reduce egg-laying in M. tardigradum. The third FOTON-M3 experiment, "Rotifers, Tardigrades and Radiation" (RoTaRad) focused mainly on radiation survival. [...]

"Why not take to the air right away?"

2020 February 9

To Fly Free in Space
* Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B
https://www.nasa.gov/
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/sts-41b/

Explanation:
What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. McCandless and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an "untethered space walk" during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984. The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the SAFER backpack propulsion unit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_Maneuvering_Unit

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200209.html

#space #space_related #earth #photography #astrophotography #science #nature #astronomy #physics #Space_Culture_Club #NASA

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2020 February 9 To Fly Free in Space * Image Credit: NASA, STS-41B Explanation: What would it be like to fly free in space? At about 100 meters from the cargo bay of the space shuttle Challenger, Bruce McCandless II was living the dream -- floating farther out than anyone had ever been before. Guided by a Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), astronaut McCandless, pictured, was floating free in space. McCandless and fellow NASA astronaut Robert Stewart were the first to experience such an "untethered space walk" during Space Shuttle mission 41-B in 1984. The MMU worked by shooting jets of nitrogen and was used to help deploy and retrieve satellites. With a mass over 140 kilograms, an MMU is heavy on Earth, but, like everything, is weightless when drifting in orbit. The MMU was later replaced with the SAFER backpack propulsion unit. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

Dawn of the Crab
* Image and Text Credit: Bradley E. Schaefer
https://www.lsu.edu/physics/people/faculty/schaefer.php

Explanation:
One of the all-time historic skyscapes occured in July 1054, when the Crab Supernova blazed into the dawn sky. Chinese court astrologers first saw the Guest Star on the morning of 4 July 1054 next to the star Tianguan (now cataloged as Zeta Tauri). The supernova peaked in late July 1054 a bit brighter than Venus, and was visible in the daytime for 23 days. The Guest Star was so bright that every culture around the world inevitably discovered the supernova independently, although only nine reports survive, including those from China, Japan, and Constantinople. This iPhone picture is from Signal Hill near Tucson on the morning of 26 July 2025, faithfully re-creates the year 1054 Dawn of the Crab, showing the sky as seen by Hohokam peoples. The planet Venus, as a stand-in for the supernova, is close to the position of what is now the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. Step outside on a summer dawn with bright Venus, and ask yourself "What would you have thought in ancient times when suddenly seeing the Dawn of the Crab?"

+ Crab Nebula:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SN_1054
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap011227.html
+ Zeta Tauri:
https://www.star-facts.com/tianguan-zeta-tauri/
http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/zetatau.html
+ Astrophysics:
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003LNP...598..195P/abstract

+ History:
https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003LNP...598....7G/abstract
https://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/learn/home/dictio/shoseki/sadaie/
https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/18/archives/old-text-is-linked-to-1054-supernova-scientific-journal-tells-of.html
+ Hystorical Chinese Astrology:
https://www.lehigh.edu/~dwp0/Assets/images/astroorigins.pdf
+ Cultural:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hohokam-culture
https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/signal-hill-petroglyphs.htm

+ Education:
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap250808.html

#space_related #astrophotography #photography #science #history #astronomy #astrology #nature #NASA #culture #literature #education #Space_Culture_Club

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The Dawn Sky Of 26 July 1054 AD (with annotations) 2025 August 8 Dawn of the Crab * Image and Text Credit: Bradley E. Schaefer Explanation: One of the all-time historic skyscapes occured in July 1054, when the Crab Supernova blazed into the dawn sky. Chinese court astrologers first saw the Guest Star on the morning of 4 July 1054 next to the star Tianguan (now cataloged as Zeta Tauri). The supernova peaked in late July 1054 a bit brighter than Venus, and was visible in the daytime for 23 days. The Guest Star was so bright that every culture around the world inevitably discovered the supernova independently, although only nine reports survive, including those from China, Japan, and Constantinople. This iPhone picture is from Signal Hill near Tucson on the morning of 26 July 2025, faithfully re-creates the year 1054 Dawn of the Crab, showing the sky as seen by Hohokam peoples. The planet Venus, as a stand-in for the supernova, is close to the position of what is now the Crab Nebula supernova remnant. Step outside on a summer dawn with bright Venus, and ask yourself "What would you have thought in ancient times when suddenly seeing the Dawn of the Crab?" Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

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The Dawn Sky Of 26 July 2025 AD (with annotations)

2025 August 10

Snapshot of alien captured on surveillance camera!
* Image Credit: Leading Safety Officer Rainer Zufall
https://www.rainerzufall.com/termine/

Explanation:
Since yesterday, Saturday, we have certainty that they live among us ALIENS! This unique photo of a surveillance camera at an emergency exit of the Goddart Space Flight Center is the unequivocal evidence. Both management and staff of the facility are now puzzling over what the obviously intended attempt to enter the facility was supposed to achieve, perhaps the extraterrestrial spaceman wanted to borrow a cup of fuel or had the crew run out of milk? Astronomers and astrobiologists suspect the origin of the nocturnal visitor in the area of NGC 6334, also known as "The Cat's Paw Nebula"
https://defcon.social/@grobi/114890269801928650

#space_related #Space_Culture_Club #earth #cats #astrophotography #photography #science #humor #astrobiology #nature #NASA #ESA

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2025 August 10 Snapshot of alien captured on surveillance camera! * Image Credit: Leading Safety Officer Rainer Zufall https://www.rainerzufall.com/termine/ Explanation: Since yesterday, Saturday, we have certainty that they live among us ALIENS! This unique photo of a surveillance camera at an emergency exit of the Goddart Space Flight Center is the unequivocal evidence. Both management and staff of the facility are now puzzling over what the obviously intended attempt to enter the facility was supposed to achieve, perhaps the extraterrestrial spaceman wanted to borrow a cup of fuel or had the crew run out of milk? Astronomers and astrobiologists suspect the origin of the nocturnal visitor in the area of NGC 6334, also known as "The Cat's Paw Nebula"

2020 June 24

Inverted City Beneath Clouds
* Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hersch

Explanation:
How could that city be upside-down? The city, Chicago, was actually perfectly right-side up. The long shadows it projected onto nearby Lake Michigan near sunset, however, when seen in reflection, made the buildings appear inverted. This fascinating, puzzling, yet beautiful image was captured by a photographer in 2014 on an airplane on approach to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The Sun can be seen both above and below the cloud deck, with the latter reflected in the calm lake. As a bonus, if you look really closely -- and this is quite a challenge -- you can find another airplane in the image, likely also on approach to the same airport.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap200624.html

#space_related #art #photography #science #nature #puzzle #Space_Culture_Club

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2020 June 24 Inverted City Beneath Clouds * Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hersch Explanation: How could that city be upside-down? The city, Chicago, was actually perfectly right-side up. The long shadows it projected onto nearby Lake Michigan near sunset, however, when seen in reflection, made the buildings appear inverted. This fascinating, puzzling, yet beautiful image was captured by a photographer in 2014 on an airplane on approach to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. The Sun can be seen both above and below the cloud deck, with the latter reflected in the calm lake. As a bonus, if you look really closely -- and this is quite a challenge -- you can find another airplane in the image, likely also on approach to the same airport. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 October 8

Plane, Clouds, Moon, Spots, Sun
* Image Credit & Copyright: Doyle and Shannon Slifer

Explanation:
What's that in front of the Sun? The closest object is an airplane, visible just below the Sun's center and caught purely by chance. Next out are numerous clouds in Earth's atmosphere, creating a series of darkened horizontal streaks. Farther out is Earth's Moon, seen as the large dark circular bite on the upper right. Just above the airplane and just below the Sun's surface are sunspots. The main sunspot group captured here, AR 2192, was in 2014 one of the largest ever recorded and had been crackling and bursting with flares since it came around the edge of the Sun a week before. This show of solar silhouettes was unfortunately short-lived. Within a few seconds the plane flew away. Within a few minutes the clouds drifted off. Within a few hours the partial solar eclipse of the Sun by the Moon was over. Fortunately, when it comes to the Sun, even unexpected alignments are surprisingly frequent. Perhaps one will be imaged this Saturday when a new partial solar eclipse will be visible from much of North and South America.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231008.html

#space_related #astroart #art #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

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2023 October 8 A partially eclipse Sun is shown. In front of the Sun are sunspots, the Moon, clouds, and an airplane. Plane, Clouds, Moon, Spots, Sun * Image Credit & Copyright: Doyle and Shannon Slifer Explanation: What's that in front of the Sun? The closest object is an airplane, visible just below the Sun's center and caught purely by chance. Next out are numerous clouds in Earth's atmosphere, creating a series of darkened horizontal streaks. Farther out is Earth's Moon, seen as the large dark circular bite on the upper right. Just above the airplane and just below the Sun's surface are sunspots. The main sunspot group captured here, AR 2192, was in 2014 one of the largest ever recorded and had been crackling and bursting with flares since it came around the edge of the Sun a week before. This show of solar silhouettes was unfortunately short-lived. Within a few seconds the plane flew away. Within a few minutes the clouds drifted off. Within a few hours the partial solar eclipse of the Sun by the Moon was over. Fortunately, when it comes to the Sun, even unexpected alignments are surprisingly frequent. Perhaps one will be imaged this Saturday when a new partial solar eclipse will be visible from much of North and South America. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2013 May 13

Partial Solar Eclipse with Airplane
* Image Credit & Copyright: Phillip Calais

Explanation:
It was just eight minutes after sunrise, last week, and already there were four things in front of the Sun. The largest and most notable was Earth's Moon, obscuring a big chunk of the Sun's lower limb as it moved across the solar disk, as viewed from Fremantle, Australia. This was expected as the image was taken during a partial solar eclipse -- an eclipse that left sunlight streaming around all sides of the Moon from some locations. Next, a band of clouds divided the Sun horizontally while showing interesting internal structure vertically. The third intervening body might be considered to be the Earth's atmosphere, as it dimmed the Sun from its higher altitude brightness while density fluctuations caused the Sun's edges to appear to shimmer. Although closest to the photographer, the least expected solar occulter was an airplane. Quite possibly, passengers on both sides of that airplane were contemplating the unusual view only visible out the eastern-facing windows.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130513.html

#space_related #astroart #art #astrophotography #photography #science #nature #Space_Culture_Club

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2013 May 13 Partial Solar Eclipse with Airplane * Image Credit & Copyright: Phillip Calais Explanation: It was just eight minutes after sunrise, last week, and already there were four things in front of the Sun. The largest and most notable was Earth's Moon, obscuring a big chunk of the Sun's lower limb as it moved across the solar disk, as viewed from Fremantle, Australia. This was expected as the image was taken during a partial solar eclipse -- an eclipse that left sunlight streaming around all sides of the Moon from some locations. Next, a band of clouds divided the Sun horizontally while showing interesting internal structure vertically. The third intervening body might be considered to be the Earth's atmosphere, as it dimmed the Sun from its higher altitude brightness while density fluctuations caused the Sun's edges to appear to shimmer. Although closest to the photographer, the least expected solar occulter was an airplane. Quite possibly, passengers on both sides of that airplane were contemplating the unusual view only visible out the eastern-facing windows. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

Newport, Oregon Coast Guard Station! Prints and more sold here: pixels.com/featured/1-n... #CoastGuard #Art #NewportOregon #OregonCoast #ArtForSale #BuyIntoArt #ThomZehrfeldPhotography #PhotographyIsArt #Photography #Fotografie
#ArtForSale #ArtMatters #MastoArt #Mastodon #ArtforInteriorDesign #HospitalityInteriors
#InteriorDesign #Wallart #InteriorDecorating #WallArtForSale #PhotoOfTheDay #FediGiftShop #GiftIdeas #FediArt #Prints #FediArtShop #Colorful #Nature

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Newport, Oregon Coast Guard Station! Prints and more sold here: pixels.com/featured/1-n... #CoastGuard #Art #NewportOregon #OregonCoast #ArtForSale #BuyIntoArt #ThomZehrfeldPhotography #PhotographyIsArt #Photography #Fotografie #ArtForSale #ArtMatters #MastoArt #Mastodon #ArtforInteriorDesign #HospitalityInteriors #InteriorDesign #Wallart #InteriorDecorating #WallArtForSale #PhotoOfTheDay #FediGiftShop #GiftIdeas #FediArt #Prints #FediArtShop #Colorful #Nature

2015 February 13

Aurora on Ice
* Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées)
http://www.nuitsacrees.fr/

Explanation:
Not from a snowglobe, this expansive fisheye view of ice and sky was captured on February 1, from Jökulsárlón Beach, southeast Iceland, planet Earth. Chunks of glacial ice on the black sand beach glisten in the light of a nearly full moon surrounded by a shining halo. The 22 degree lunar halo itself is created by ice crystals in high, thin clouds refracting the moonlight. Despite the bright moonlight, curtains of aurora still dance through the surreal scene. In early February, their activity was triggered by Earth's restless magnetosphere and the energetic wind from a coronal hole near the Sun's south pole. Bright Jupiter, also near opposition, is visible at the left, beyond the icy lunar halo.
https://www.atoptics.co.uk/blog/22-degree-halo-22-halo-22-circular-halo/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150213.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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2015 February 13 Aurora on Ice * Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées) Explanation: Not from a snowglobe, this expansive fisheye view of ice and sky was captured on February 1, from Jökulsárlón Beach, southeast Iceland, planet Earth. Chunks of glacial ice on the black sand beach glisten in the light of a nearly full moon surrounded by a shining halo. The 22 degree lunar halo itself is created by ice crystals in high, thin clouds refracting the moonlight. Despite the bright moonlight, curtains of aurora still dance through the surreal scene. In early February, their activity was triggered by Earth's restless magnetosphere and the energetic wind from a coronal hole near the Sun's south pole. Bright Jupiter, also near opposition, is visible at the left, beyond the icy lunar halo. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

Annotations for previous post.

* Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman-Woodend
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126180225@N06/
* Annotation: Judy Schmidt

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Annotations for previous post. * Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman-Woodend https://www.flickr.com/photos/126180225@N06/ * Annotation: Judy Schmidt

2021 December 13

Meteors and Auroras over Iceland
* Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman-Woodend
https://www.flickr.com/photos/126180225@N06/
* Annotation: Judy Schmidt (see next post)

Explanation:
What's going on behind that mountain? Quite a bit. First of all, the mountain itself, named Kirkjufell, is quite old and located in western Iceland near the town of Grundarfjörður. In front of the steeply-sloped structure lies a fjord that had just begun to freeze when the above image was taken -- in mid-December of 2012. Although quite faint to the unaided eye, the beautiful colors of background aurorae became quite apparent on the 25-second exposure. What makes this image of particular note, though, is that it also captures streaks from the Geminids meteor shower -- meteors that might not have been evident were the aurora much brighter. Far in the distance, on the left, is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while stars from our local part of the Milky Way appear spread across the background. Tonight the Geminids meteor shower peaks again and may well provide sky enthusiasts with their own memorable visual experiences.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211213.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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2021 December 13 The picture shows a volcano in Iceland in the foreground and both auroras and meteors from the 2012 Geminids in the background. Meteors and Auroras over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: James Boardman-Woodend * Annotation: Judy Schmidt (see next post) Explanation: What's going on behind that mountain? Quite a bit. First of all, the mountain itself, named Kirkjufell, is quite old and located in western Iceland near the town of Grundarfjörður. In front of the steeply-sloped structure lies a fjord that had just begun to freeze when the above image was taken -- in mid-December of 2012. Although quite faint to the unaided eye, the beautiful colors of background aurorae became quite apparent on the 25-second exposure. What makes this image of particular note, though, is that it also captures streaks from the Geminids meteor shower -- meteors that might not have been evident were the aurora much brighter. Far in the distance, on the left, is the band of our Milky Way Galaxy, while stars from our local part of the Milky Way appear spread across the background. Tonight the Geminids meteor shower peaks again and may well provide sky enthusiasts with their own memorable visual experiences. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2021 October 30

A Rorschach Aurora
* Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
https://astrofotografen.se/

Explanation:
If you see this as a monster's face, don't panic. It's only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it were captured on a September night from the middle of a waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays could be very active at planet Earth's high latitudes in the coming days. But if you see a monster's face in your own neighborhood tomorrow night, it might just be Halloween.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211030.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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2021 October 30 A Rorschach Aurora * Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand Explanation: If you see this as a monster's face, don't panic. It's only pareidolia, often experienced as the tendency to see faces in patterns of light and shadow. In fact, the startling visual scene is actually a 180 degree panorama of Northern Lights, digitally mirrored like inkblots on a folded piece of paper. Frames used to construct it were captured on a September night from the middle of a waterfall-crossing suspension bridge in Jamtland, Sweden. With geomagnetic storms triggered by recent solar activity, auroral displays could be very active at planet Earth's high latitudes in the coming days. But if you see a monster's face in your own neighborhood tomorrow night, it might just be Halloween. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC & Michigan Tech. U.

2022 October 30

Night on a Spooky Planet
* Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées)
http://www.nuitsacrees.fr/

Explanation:
What spooky planet is this? Planet Earth of course, on a dark and stormy night in 2013 at Hverir, a geothermally active area along the volcanic landscape in northeastern Iceland. Triggered by solar activity, geomagnetic storms produced the auroral display in the starry night sky. The ghostly towers of steam and gas are venting from fumaroles and danced against the eerie greenish light. For now, auroral apparitions are increasing as our Sun approaches a maximum in its 11 year solar activity cycle. And pretty soon, ghostly shapes may dance in your neighborhood too.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap221030.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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2022 October 30 The featured image shows steam rising from several separated vents at Hverir, a geothermally active field in Iceland. Green aurora rage in the background. Night on a Spooky Planet * Image Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter (Nuits sacrées) Explanation: What spooky planet is this? Planet Earth of course, on a dark and stormy night in 2013 at Hverir, a geothermally active area along the volcanic landscape in northeastern Iceland. Triggered by solar activity, geomagnetic storms produced the auroral display in the starry night sky. The ghostly towers of steam and gas are venting from fumaroles and danced against the eerie greenish light. For now, auroral apparitions are increasing as our Sun approaches a maximum in its 11 year solar activity cycle. And pretty soon, ghostly shapes may dance in your neighborhood too. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

The Heliosphere and Solar Wind

Just as planets with churning cores like Earth produce magnetic shields, the Sun’s dense, ever-roiling interior also produces a magnetic shield — on a much larger scale. The Sun’s magnetic shield is called the heliosphere, and it fills the solar system.

As the Sun seethes, it radiates its energy throughout the heliosphere. Planets and other objects in the solar system experience much of this radiation as a continuous stream of charged particles and magnetic fields blowing by. This stream of fields and particles is called the solar wind.

When the solar wind blows past Earth, it buffets Earth’s magnetosphere like a strong breeze flapping a flag.
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/what-is-the-solar-wind/

Credits:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab/Jonathan North

** --> Uploading animated files in ".gif" format is a bit of a trick, because the originals are usually too big. The free software imagemagick does a great job here when it comes to resizing your file! You can try it yourself with the following command:

$convert(or "magick" depending on your version) in.gif -coalesce -resize (desired size eg:"256")x -deconstruct out-deconstruct.gif

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

"Other planets in our solar system also have the aurora phenomenon. You can also enjoy a solar light show there. In my simple mind, I think of a drive-in cinema with planets instead of cars and the sun as a projector. But there is probably a different movie on each planet..?"

2024 December 8

Aurora around Saturn's North Pole
* Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris)

Explanation:
Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth. The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of auroras and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole. Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap050219.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241208.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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2024 December 8 A picture of Saturn is shown with tan clouds and light rings. Surrounding the north pole at the top are bright blue swirls. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Aurora around Saturn's North Pole * Image Credit: NASA, ESA, Hubble, OPAL Program, J. DePasquale (STScI), L. Lamy (Obs. Paris) Explanation: Are Saturn's auroras like Earth's? To help answer this question, the Hubble Space Telescope and the Cassini spacecraft monitored Saturn's North Pole simultaneously during Cassini's final orbits around the gas giant in September 2017. During this time, Saturn's tilt caused its North Pole to be clearly visible from Earth. The featured image is a composite of ultraviolet images of auroras and optical images of Saturn's clouds and rings, all taken by Hubble. Like on Earth, Saturn's northern auroras can make total or partial rings around the pole. Unlike on Earth, however, Saturn's auroras are frequently spirals -- and more likely to peak in brightness just before midnight and dawn. In contrast to Jupiter's auroras, Saturn's auroras appear better related to connecting Saturn's internal magnetic field to the nearby, variable, solar wind. Saturn's southern auroras were similarly imaged back in 2004 when the planet's South Pole was clearly visible to Earth. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

" @p@raru.re but before that, we have to talk about Coronal Mass Ejections: "

Coronal Mass Ejections

Occasionally, magnetic storms on the Sun eject large amounts of solar material into the solar atmosphere. These huge, flying blobs of Sun-stuff are called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.

If directed at Earth, fast-moving CMEs can reach our planet in as little as 15 hours. (The Sun is approximately 93 million miles away from Earth. A CME arriving here in 15 hours means that it’s traveling around 6.2 million miles per hour, or about 0.9% the speed of light. At those speeds, you could fly from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. in ~1.5 seconds!)

As they billow away from the Sun, fast CMEs can overtake slower-moving charged particles ahead of them in the solar wind. These particles are accelerated as they’re swept into the careening solar ejecta, increasing the risk and intensity of a radiation storm when they reach Earth.

Under certain conditions, CMEs can supercharge the magnetosphere as they blow past, creating powerful geomagnetic storms in response.
https://science.nasa.gov/sun/solar-storms-and-flares/#coronal-mass-ejection

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

This animation shows all L3 WISPR full-field observations from the twenty-first PSP Mission Encounter (2024-09-25 - 2024-10-05). We have superimposed a grid showing helioprojective longitude and latitude, and a scale representation of the size and location of the Sun in the observations using the SDO/HMI Carrington map for this time period. The velocity and distance metrics displayed on the movies correspond respectively to the spacecraft's heliocentric velocity in kilometers per second, and its distance from the Sun's center in units of solar radii (where 1 solar radius = 695,700km). The "FOV Range" label provides the plane-of-sky distance limits of the inner and outermost edges of the fields of view, in units of solar radii. The horizontal blue line indicates the orbital plane of PSP. The timespan of this composite movie covers only the nominal science window when the spacecraft was within 0.25 au; a limited amount of data outside of this range may be available at the below links.
You can download this movie directly as an 101MB mp4 file. This sequence is also available as data processed via the LW Algorithm developed by Dr. Guillermo Stenborg (JHUAPL) and detailed in Appendix A of Howard et al. 2022 (ApJ, 936, id.43. DOI 10.3847/1538-4357/ac7ff5). Please contact the team for access to this data, which will be posted here one year after the acquisition of those observations. Team contact information can be found in Section 1.2 of the WISPR User's Guide
https://wispr.nrl.navy.mil/sites/wispr.nrl.navy.mil/files/wispr_data_user_guide_v3.pdf [PDF link].

[Credit: NASA/NRL/JHUAPL. Movie processed/compiled by Guillermo Stenborg (JHUAPL) and Karl Battams (NRL). SDO inset courtesy of NASA/SDO and the AIA, EVE, and HMI science teams.]

/*grobi: for a better resolution go to:
https://wispr.nrl.navy.mil/encounter21-summary but that's a huge file !:D

#space #solarsystem #sun #parker #astrophotography #photography #science #astronomie #nature #NASA #4sAur

2024 October 16

Colorful Aurora over New Zealand
* Image Credit & Copyright: Tristian McDonald
https://cre8tivestr3k.com/info-contact

Explanation:
Sometimes the night sky is full of surprises. Take the sky over Lindis Pass, South Island, New Zealand one-night last week. Instead of a typically calm night sky filled with constant stars, a busy and dynamic night sky appeared. Suddenly visible were pervasive red aurora, green picket-fence aurora, a red SAR arc, a STEVE, a meteor, and the Moon. These outshone the center of our Milky Way Galaxy and both of its two satellite galaxies: the LMC and SMC. All of these were captured together on 28 exposures in five minutes, from which this panorama was composed. Auroras lit up many skies last week, as a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun unleashed a burst of particles toward our Earth that created colorful skies over latitudes usually too far from the Earth's poles to see them. More generally, night skies this month have other surprises, showing not only auroras -- but comets.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap241016.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature #education #4sAur

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2024 October 16 A night sky is shown that appears mostly red due to pervasive aurora. In the foreground is covered by watery grasslands. Clouds are visible above the horizon. Thin green aurora are visible toward the top of the frame. In the background one can find the Moon, the LMC, SMC, Venus, a meteor, and the band of our Milky Way galaxy. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Colorful Aurora over New Zealand * Image Credit & Copyright: Tristian McDonald Explanation: Sometimes the night sky is full of surprises. Take the sky over Lindis Pass, South Island, New Zealand one-night last week. Instead of a typically calm night sky filled with constant stars, a busy and dynamic night sky appeared. Suddenly visible were pervasive red aurora, green picket-fence aurora, a red SAR arc, a STEVE, a meteor, and the Moon. These outshone the center of our Milky Way Galaxy and both of its two satellite galaxies: the LMC and SMC. All of these were captured together on 28 exposures in five minutes, from which this panorama was composed. Auroras lit up many skies last week, as a Coronal Mass Ejection from the Sun unleashed a burst of particles toward our Earth that created colorful skies over latitudes usually too far from the Earth's poles to see them. More generally, night skies this month have other surprises, showing not only auroras -- but comets. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

"A special box seat for the phenomenal earthly light shows belongs to the members of Expedition 71 and such wonderful views are part of the reward for the hard work. How nice that they share these beautiful pictures with us who stayed at home! We'll treat ourselves to a short film about it later .."

2024 September 13

Aurora Australis and the International Space Station
* Image Credit: NASA, ISS Expedition 71
https://www.nasa.gov/mission/expedition-71/

Explanation:
This snapshot from the International Space Station was taken on August 11 while orbiting about 430 kilometers above the Indian Ocean, Southern Hemisphere, planet Earth. The spectacular view looks south and east, down toward the planet's horizon and through red and green curtains of aurora australis. The auroral glow is caused by emission from excited oxygen atoms in the extremely rarefied upper atmosphere still present at the level of the orbiting outpost. Green emission from atomic oxygen dominates this scene at altitudes of 100 to 250 kilometers, while red emission from atomic oxygen can extend as high as 500 kilometers altitude. Beyond the glow of these southern lights, this view from low Earth orbit reveals the starry sky from a southern hemisphere perspective. Stars in Orion's belt and the Orion Nebula are near the Earth's limb just left of center. Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major and brightest star in planet Earth's night is above center along the right edge of the southern orbital skyscape.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/1346/aurora-australis
https://science.nasa.gov/earth/earth-atmosphere/earths-atmosphere-a-multi-layered-cake/
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240913.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240913.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature #education #4sAur

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2024 September 13 Aurora Australis and the International Space Station * Image Credit: NASA, ISS Expedition 71 Explanation: This snapshot from the International Space Station was taken on August 11 while orbiting about 430 kilometers above the Indian Ocean, Southern Hemisphere, planet Earth. The spectacular view looks south and east, down toward the planet's horizon and through red and green curtains of aurora australis. The auroral glow is caused by emission from excited oxygen atoms in the extremely rarefied upper atmosphere still present at the level of the orbiting outpost. Green emission from atomic oxygen dominates this scene at altitudes of 100 to 250 kilometers, while red emission from atomic oxygen can extend as high as 500 kilometers altitude. Beyond the glow of these southern lights, this view from low Earth orbit reveals the starry sky from a southern hemisphere perspective. Stars in Orion's belt and the Orion Nebula are near the Earth's limb just left of center. Sirius, alpha star of Canis Major and brightest star in planet Earth's night is above center along the right edge of the southern orbital skyscape. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"And now finally (thank you p
@p@raru.re for your generous p atience) we come to the point of magnetic reconnection. I'll spare you as linking to Youtube and Google with this simulation generously provided by the Goddard Space Flight Center. "

Magnetic Reconnection

As we’ve seen, the solar wind emanating from the Sun flows around Earth’s magnetosphere like a river rushing around a rock. This onrush of charged particles stretches Earth’s magnetosphere away from the Sun, creating a long wake known as the magnetotail.

The magnetic shields of the Sun and Earth are polarized, like refrigerators and the magnets that adhere to them. The polarity of Earth’s magnetic shield is mostly stable, but the Sun’s can vary due to its more dynamic nature.

Sometimes, the magnetic polarity of the solar wind is opposite that of Earth’s magnetosphere. When the solar wind buffets the magnetosphere under these conditions, the field lines of the Sun and Earth snap together, similar to when an everyday magnet connects to a fridge. This is called magnetic reconnection.

The continuously blowing solar wind then pushes these newly connected Sun-Earth field lines, wrapping them around the magnetosphere and stretching them out toward the magnetotail. Eventually, these field lines stretch to their limit and snap like a rubber band. This severs the direct Sun-Earth magnetic connection, releasing energy back along the field lines and reinstating the original magnetic configuration in the process.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_reconnection
https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/solving-plasma-physics-mystery-magnetic-reconnection
https://heliophysics.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/heliophysics/resources/presentations/2012_Bhattacharjee_Reconnection.pdf

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

"And sometimes you don't even have to travel that far north, especially in the last year 2024, some of us suddenly and unexpectedly had such a light show on our doorstep"

2024 August 14

Meteors and Aurora over Germany
* Image Credit & Copyright: Chantal Anders
https://www.instagram.com/wetter_eule/

Explanation:
This was an unusual night. For one thing, the night sky of August 11 and 12, earlier this week, occurred near the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. Therefore, meteors streaked across the dark night as small bits cast off from Comet Swift-Tuttle came crashing into the Earth's atmosphere. Even more unusually, for central Germany at least, the night sky glowed purple. The red-blue hue was due to aurora caused by an explosion of particles from the Sun a few days before. This auroral storm was so intense that it was seen as far south as Texas and Italy, in Earth's northern hemisphere. The featured image composite was built from 7 exposures taken over 26 minutes from Ense, Germany. The Perseids occur predictably every August, but auroras visible this far south are more unusual and less predictable.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/severe-g4-geomagnetic-storms-observed-12-aug-2024
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/meteors-meteorites/perseids/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240814.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature #4sAur

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2024 August 14 A night sky filled with stars is colored partly purple by an aurora. Also visible are several streaks which are meteors in this image composite. In the foreground is a field and lone tree. Part of the tree slants at the nearly the same angle of the meteor streaks. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Meteors and Aurora over Germany * Image Credit & Copyright: Chantal Anders Explanation: This was an unusual night. For one thing, the night sky of August 11 and 12, earlier this week, occurred near the peak of the annual Perseid Meteor Shower. Therefore, meteors streaked across the dark night as small bits cast off from Comet Swift-Tuttle came crashing into the Earth's atmosphere. Even more unusually, for central Germany at least, the night sky glowed purple. The red-blue hue was due to aurora caused by an explosion of particles from the Sun a few days before. This auroral storm was so intense that it was seen as far south as Texas and Italy, in Earth's northern hemisphere. The featured image composite was built from 7 exposures taken over 26 minutes from Ense, Germany. The Perseids occur predictably every August, but auroras visible this far south are more unusual and less predictable. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"These wonderful surprising moments in places where we do not expect those views are most likely caused by the following powerful phenomenon: "

Geomagnetic Substorms

While the huge auroral displays caused by geomagnetic storms are fun to see, they’re relatively rare since the Sun’s and Earth’s magnetic fields need to align just right for them to occur. Auroras that stay near the Arctic and Antarctic circles are much more frequent. They’re created by geomagnetic substorms, magnetic disturbances affecting portions of the magnetosphere. Geomagnetic storms, in contrast, are large-scale disturbances that distort the whole geomagnetic system. The everyday flow of charged particles within Earth’s magnetosphere can create small regions of magnetic imbalance that cause geomagnetic substorms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Substorm
https://heliophysics.ucar.edu/sites/default/files/heliophysics/resources/presentations/2007_Toffoletto_GeomagneticStormsSubstorms.pdf

Credits:
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/UNH/J. Raeder

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #physics #nature #education #4sAur

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This short video features commentary by David Sibeck, project scientist for NASA's Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions During Substorms (THEMIS) mission, discussing a visualization of magnetic reconnection and geomagnetic substorms. Learn more about this video here: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11309 Credits: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/UNH/J. Raeder

2024 June 12

Aurora over Karkonosze Mountains
* Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Koszela
https://www.instagram.com/danielkoszelaphotography/

Explanation:
It was the first time ever. At least, the first time this photographer had ever seen aurora from his home mountains. And what a spectacular aurora it was. The Karkonosze Mountains in Poland are usually too far south to see any auroras. But on the amazing night of May 10 - 11, purple and green colors lit up much of the night sky, a surprising spectacle that also appeared over many mid-latitude locations around the Earth. The featured image is a composite of six vertical exposures taken during the auroral peak. The futuristic buildings on the right are part of a meteorological observatory located on the highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains. The purple color is primarily due to Sun-triggered, high-energy electrons impacting nitrogen molecules in Earth's atmosphere. Our Sun is reaching its maximum surface activity over the next two years, and although many more auroras are predicted, most will occur over regions closer to the Earth's poles.
https://theconversation.com/are-the-northern-lights-caused-by-particles-from-the-sun-not-exactly-174019
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/solar-cycle-25-is-here-nasa-noaa-scientists-explain-what-that-means/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240612.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature #education

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2024 June 12 Purple striped aurora cover a star filled sky. Mountain peaks are visible on the sides, as well as a futuristic looking building on the right side. City lights are visible in the valley down below. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Aurora over Karkonosze Mountains * Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Koszela Explanation: It was the first time ever. At least, the first time this photographer had ever seen aurora from his home mountains. And what a spectacular aurora it was. The Karkonosze Mountains in Poland are usually too far south to see any auroras. But on the amazing night of May 10 - 11, purple and green colors lit up much of the night sky, a surprising spectacle that also appeared over many mid-latitude locations around the Earth. The featured image is a composite of six vertical exposures taken during the auroral peak. The futuristic buildings on the right are part of a meteorological observatory located on the highest peak of the Karkonosze Mountains. The purple color is primarily due to Sun-triggered, high-energy electrons impacting nitrogen molecules in Earth's atmosphere. Our Sun is reaching its maximum surface activity over the next two years, and although many more auroras are predicted, most will occur over regions closer to the Earth's poles. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.

2024 May 22

Green Aurora over Sweden
* Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand
https://astrofotografen.se/

Explanation:
It was bright and green and stretched across the sky. This striking aurora display was captured in 2016 just outside of Östersund, Sweden. Six photographic fields were merged to create the featured panorama spanning almost 180 degrees. Particularly striking aspects of this aurora include its sweeping arc-like shape and its stark definition. Lake Storsjön is seen in the foreground, while several familiar constellations and the star Polaris are visible through the aurora, far in the background. Coincidently, the aurora appears to avoid the Moon visible on the lower left. The aurora appeared a day after a large hole opened in the Sun's corona, allowing particularly energetic particles to flow out into the Solar System. The green color of the aurora is caused by oxygen atoms recombining with ambient electrons high in the Earth's atmosphere.
https://www.webexhibits.org/causesofcolor/4D.html
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/earths-atmospheric-layers-3/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240522.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 May 22 A big green arc is seen arching across the night sky. The arc fades away above into a green haze, while no green glow is seen below the arc. A dark sky filled with stars and constellations fills the background. Snow and distant trees line the foreground. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Green Aurora over Sweden * Image Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand Explanation: It was bright and green and stretched across the sky. This striking aurora display was captured in 2016 just outside of Östersund, Sweden. Six photographic fields were merged to create the featured panorama spanning almost 180 degrees. Particularly striking aspects of this aurora include its sweeping arc-like shape and its stark definition. Lake Storsjön is seen in the foreground, while several familiar constellations and the star Polaris are visible through the aurora, far in the background. Coincidently, the aurora appears to avoid the Moon visible on the lower left. The aurora appeared a day after a large hole opened in the Sun's corona, allowing particularly energetic particles to flow out into the Solar System. The green color of the aurora is caused by oxygen atoms recombining with ambient electrons high in the Earth's atmosphere. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
Bots-requests would not be accepted."

"Would you like to see more auroras from orbit? Then go through this gate"

Auroras Seen from Orbit

The International Space Station orbits roughly 250 miles (400 km) above Earth's surface. At that height, astronauts regularly fly over (and sometimes through!) brilliant auroral displays. Many astronauts document their auroral experiences with photos and videos, but did you know the space station has high-definition cameras on board? Photos and time-lapses are uploaded regularly to NASA's online Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/
!>> https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/beyondthephotography/crewearthobservationsvideos/Aurora.htm

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

2024 May 20

Aurora Dome Sky
* Image Credit & Copyright: Xuecheng Liu & Yuxuan Liu

Explanation:
It seemed like night, but part of the sky glowed purple. It was the now famous night of May 10, 2024, when people over much of the world reported beautiful aurora-filled skies. The featured image was captured this night during early morning hours from Arlington, Wisconsin, USA. The panorama is a composite of several 6-second exposures covering two thirds of the visible sky, with north in the center, and processed to heighten the colors and remove electrical wires. The photographer (in the foreground) reported that the aurora appeared to flow from a point overhead but illuminated the sky only toward the north. The aurora's energetic particles originated from CMEs ejected from our Sun over sunspot AR 3664 a few days before. This large active region rotated to the far side of the Sun last week, but may well survive to rotate back toward the Earth next week.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240520.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 May 20 A large purple transparent dome appears to cover much of a starry sky. A person stands in a field looking toward the unusual spectacle. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Aurora Dome Sky * Image Credit & Copyright: Xuecheng Liu & Yuxuan Liu Explanation: It seemed like night, but part of the sky glowed purple. It was the now famous night of May 10, 2024, when people over much of the world reported beautiful aurora-filled skies. The featured image was captured this night during early morning hours from Arlington, Wisconsin, USA. The panorama is a composite of several 6-second exposures covering two thirds of the visible sky, with north in the center, and processed to heighten the colors and remove electrical wires. The photographer (in the foreground) reported that the aurora appeared to flow from a point overhead but illuminated the sky only toward the north. The aurora's energetic particles originated from CMEs ejected from our Sun over sunspot AR 3664 a few days before. This large active region rotated to the far side of the Sun last week, but may well survive to rotate back toward the Earth next week. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 May 17

Aurora Banks Peninsula
* Image Credit & Copyright: Kavan Chay
https://www.instagram.com/kchayphotos/

Explanation:
This well-composed composite panoramic view looks due south from Banks Peninsula near Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. The base of a tower-like rocky sea stack is awash in the foreground, with stars of the Southern Cross at the top of the frame and planet Earth's south celestial pole near center. Still, captured on May 11, vibrant aurora australis dominate the starry southern sea and skyscape. The shimmering southern lights were part of extensive auroral displays that entertained skywatchers in northern and southern hemispheres around planet Earth, caused by intense geomagnetic storms. The extreme spaceweather was triggered by the impact of coronal mass ejections launched from powerful solar active region AR 3664.
https://spaceweather.com/
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/solar-cycle-25/

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 May 17 Aurora Banks Peninsula * Image Credit & Copyright: Kavan Chay Explanation: This well-composed composite panoramic view looks due south from Banks Peninsula near Christchurch on New Zealand's South Island. The base of a tower-like rocky sea stack is awash in the foreground, with stars of the Southern Cross at the top of the frame and planet Earth's south celestial pole near center. Still, captured on May 11, vibrant aurora australis dominate the starry southern sea and skyscape. The shimmering southern lights were part of extensive auroral displays that entertained skywatchers in northern and southern hemispheres around planet Earth, caused by intense geomagnetic storms. The extreme spaceweather was triggered by the impact of coronal mass ejections launched from powerful solar active region AR 3664. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 May 16

Aurora Georgia
* Image Credit & Copyright: Wright Dobbs
https://www.instagram.com/wrightdobbs/

Explanation:
A familiar sight from Georgia, USA, the Moon sets near the western horizon in this rural night skyscape. Captured on May 10 before local midnight, the image overexposes the Moon's bright waxing crescent at left in the frame. A long irrigation rig stretches across farmland about 15 miles north of the city of Bainbridge. Shimmering curtains of aurora shine across the starry sky, definitely an unfamiliar sight for southern Georgia nights. Last weekend, extreme geomagnetic storms triggered by the recent intense activity from solar active region AR 3664 brought epic displays of aurora, usually seen closer to the poles, to southern Georgia and even lower latitudes on planet Earth. As solar activity ramps up, more storms are possible.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240516.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 May 16 Aurora Georgia * Image Credit & Copyright: Wright Dobbs Explanation: A familiar sight from Georgia, USA, the Moon sets near the western horizon in this rural night skyscape. Captured on May 10 before local midnight, the image overexposes the Moon's bright waxing crescent at left in the frame. A long irrigation rig stretches across farmland about 15 miles north of the city of Bainbridge. Shimmering curtains of aurora shine across the starry sky, definitely an unfamiliar sight for southern Georgia nights. Last weekend, extreme geomagnetic storms triggered by the recent intense activity from solar active region AR 3664 brought epic displays of aurora, usually seen closer to the poles, to southern Georgia and even lower latitudes on planet Earth. As solar activity ramps up, more storms are possible. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2024 May 12

Red Aurora over Poland
* Image Credit & Copyright: Mariusz Durlej
https://tkalniakietrz.pl/wystawa-astrofotografii-mariusza-durleja/

Explanation:
Northern lights don't usually reach this far south. Magnetic chaos in the Sun's huge Active Region 3664, however, produced a surface explosion that sent a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive, charged nuclei into the Solar System. A few days later, that coronal mass ejection (CME) impacted the Earth and triggered auroras that are being reported unusually far from our planet's north and south poles. The free sky show might not be over -- the sunspot rich AR3664 has ejected even more CMEs that might also impact the Earth tonight or tomorrow. That active region is now near the Sun's edge, though, and will soon be rotating away from the Earth. Pictured, a red and rayed aurora was captured in a single 6-second exposure from Racibórz, Poland early last night. The photographer's friend, seeing an aurora for the first time, is visible in the distance also taking images of the beautifully colorful nighttime sky.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240512.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 May 12 Red and purple aurora appear over a field in Poland. A tree is seen to the right, and a person stands in the distance holding a glowing phone. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Red Aurora over Poland * Image Credit & Copyright: Mariusz Durlej Explanation: Northern lights don't usually reach this far south. Magnetic chaos in the Sun's huge Active Region 3664, however, produced a surface explosion that sent a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive, charged nuclei into the Solar System. A few days later, that coronal mass ejection (CME) impacted the Earth and triggered auroras that are being reported unusually far from our planet's north and south poles. The free sky show might not be over -- the sunspot rich AR3664 has ejected even more CMEs that might also impact the Earth tonight or tomorrow. That active region is now near the Sun's edge, though, and will soon be rotating away from the Earth. Pictured, a red and rayed aurora was captured in a single 6-second exposure from Racibórz, Poland early last night. The photographer's friend, seeing an aurora for the first time, is visible in the distance also taking images of the beautifully colorful nighttime sky. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices; A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"So honestly, if this mysterious Aurora doesn't remind you of Harry Potter, you either don't read any books or have and don't know any children .. (just joking)"

2024 February 25
A green aurora fills a star filled sky. A mountain and a lake are in the foreground. The aurora may resemble, to some, a flying or rising Phoenix.

A Phoenix Aurora over Iceland
* Image Credit & Copyright: Hallgrimur P. Helgason; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt

Explanation:
All of the other aurora watchers had gone home. By 3:30 am in Iceland, on a quiet September night, much of that night's auroras had died down. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a new burst of particles streamed down from space, lighting up the Earth's atmosphere once again. This time, surprisingly, pareidoliacally, the night lit up with an amazing shape reminiscent of a giant phoenix. With camera equipment at the ready, two quick sky images were taken, followed immediately by a third of the land. The mountain in the background is Helgafell, while the small foreground river is called Kaldá, both located about 30 kilometers north of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. Seasoned skywatchers will note that just above the mountain, toward the left, is the constellation of Orion, while the Pleiades star cluster is also visible just above the frame center. The 2016 aurora, which lasted only a minute and was soon gone forever -- would possibly be dismissed as a fanciful fable -- were it not captured in the featured, digitally-composed, image mosaic.
https://harrypotterinsights.com/the-enigmatic-phoenix-symbolism-and-significance-in-the-wizarding-world/

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240225.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 February 25 A green aurora fills a star filled sky. A mountain and a lake are in the foreground. The aurora may resemble, to some, a flying or rising Phoenix. A Phoenix Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Hallgrimur P. Helgason; Rollover Annotation: Judy Schmidt Explanation: All of the other aurora watchers had gone home. By 3:30 am in Iceland, on a quiet September night, much of that night's auroras had died down. Suddenly, unexpectedly, a new burst of particles streamed down from space, lighting up the Earth's atmosphere once again. This time, surprisingly, pareidoliacally, the night lit up with an amazing shape reminiscent of a giant phoenix. With camera equipment at the ready, two quick sky images were taken, followed immediately by a third of the land. The mountain in the background is Helgafell, while the small foreground river is called Kaldá, both located about 30 kilometers north of Iceland's capital Reykjavík. Seasoned skywatchers will note that just above the mountain, toward the left, is the constellation of Orion, while the Pleiades star cluster is also visible just above the frame center. The 2016 aurora, which lasted only a minute and was soon gone forever -- would possibly be dismissed as a fanciful fable -- were it not captured in the featured, digitally-composed, image mosaic. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Amber Straughn; Specific rights apply.

"Our solar film projector does not stop conjuring up magical mythical creatures on our atmospheric screen"

2024 January 14

Dragon Aurora over Iceland
* Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang & Wang Zheng

Explanation:
Have you ever seen a dragon in the sky? Although real flying dragons don't exist, a huge dragon-shaped aurora developed in the sky over Iceland in 2019. The aurora was caused by a hole in the Sun's corona that expelled charged particles into a solar wind that followed a changing interplanetary magnetic field to Earth's magnetosphere. As some of those particles then struck Earth's atmosphere, they excited atoms which subsequently emitted light: aurora. This iconic display was so enthralling that the photographer's mother ran out to see it and was captured in the foreground. Our active Sun continues to show an unusually high number of prominences, filaments, sunspots, and large active regions as solar maximum approaches in 2025.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240114.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2024 January 14 A person stands on snow and looks up at a starry sky. In the sky is a large green aurora that resembles a dragon. Dragon Aurora over Iceland * Image Credit & Copyright: Jingyi Zhang & Wang Zheng Explanation: Have you ever seen a dragon in the sky? Although real flying dragons don't exist, a huge dragon-shaped aurora developed in the sky over Iceland in 2019. The aurora was caused by a hole in the Sun's corona that expelled charged particles into a solar wind that followed a changing interplanetary magnetic field to Earth's magnetosphere. As some of those particles then struck Earth's atmosphere, they excited atoms which subsequently emitted light: aurora. This iconic display was so enthralling that the photographer's mother ran out to see it and was captured in the foreground. Our active Sun continues to show an unusually high number of prominences, filaments, sunspots, and large active regions as solar maximum approaches in 2025. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Ryan Smallcomb Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

".. and whoever drinks from this magical spring only once inevitably becomes a more peaceful, happier and better being. Just look at how Elon and Donald fared afterwards:
https://mstdn.ca/@seanb/114648824966395547 "

2023 December 27

Rainbow Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini
https://fotocult.it/stefano-pellegrini-intervista/

Explanation:
Yes, but can your aurora do this? First, yes, auroras can look like rainbows even though they are completely different phenomena. Auroras are caused by Sun-created particles being channeled into Earth's atmosphere by Earth's magnetic field, and create colors by exciting atoms at different heights. Conversely, rainbows are created by sunlight backscattering off falling raindrops, and different colors are refracted by slightly different angles. Unfortunately, auroras can’t create waterfalls, but if you plan well and are lucky enough, you can photograph them together. The featured picture is composed of several images taken on the same night last November near the Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland. The planning centered on capturing the central band of our Milky Way galaxy over the picturesque cascade. By luck, a spectacular aurora soon appeared just below the curving arch of the Milky Way. Far in the background, the Pleiades star cluster and the Andromeda galaxy can be found.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231227.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 December 27 A waterfall is shown in the image center below a starry sky. Arching above the waterfall is a colorful aurora. Arching above the aurora is the central band of the Milky Way. Rainbow Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall Image Credit & Copyright: Stefano Pellegrini Explanation: Yes, but can your aurora do this? First, yes, auroras can look like rainbows even though they are completely different phenomena. Auroras are caused by Sun-created particles being channeled into Earth's atmosphere by Earth's magnetic field, and create colors by exciting atoms at different heights. Conversely, rainbows are created by sunlight backscattering off falling raindrops, and different colors are refracted by slightly different angles. Unfortunately, auroras can’t create waterfalls, but if you plan well and are lucky enough, you can photograph them together. The featured picture is composed of several images taken on the same night last November near the Skógafoss waterfall in Iceland. The planning centered on capturing the central band of our Milky Way galaxy over the picturesque cascade. By luck, a spectacular aurora soon appeared just below the curving arch of the Milky Way. Far in the background, the Pleiades star cluster and the Andromeda galaxy can be found. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

2023 December 12

Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
* Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi
https://giuliocobianchi.com/about/

Explanation:
What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to encircle much of the southern sky. Visible below the stellar arch is the rusty-orange planet Mars and the extended Andromeda galaxy. But this night had more! For a few minutes during this cold arctic night, a second giant arch appeared encircling part of the northern sky: an aurora. Auroras are much closer than stars as they are composed of glowing air high in Earth's atmosphere. Visible outside the green auroral arch is the group of stars popularly known as the Big Dipper. The featured digital composite of 20 images was captured in mid-November 2022 over the Lofoten Islands in Norway.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231212.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #physics #nature

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2023 December 12 A night sky filled with stars is shown behind a picturesque foreground. The foreground contains rounded rocks and a person before a distant sea. The background contains bands of the Milky Way and bright aurora. Aurora and Milky Way over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Giulio Cobianchi Explanation: What are these two giant arches across the sky? Perhaps the more familiar one, on the left, is the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy. This grand disk of stars and nebulas here appears to encircle much of the southern sky. Visible below the stellar arch is the rusty-orange planet Mars and the extended Andromeda galaxy. But this night had more! For a few minutes during this cold arctic night, a second giant arch appeared encircling part of the northern sky: an aurora. Auroras are much closer than stars as they are composed of glowing air high in Earth's atmosphere. Visible outside the green auroral arch is the group of stars popularly known as the Big Dipper. The featured digital composite of 20 images was captured in mid-November 2022 over the Lofoten Islands in Norway. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 November 25

Little Planet Aurora
* Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima
https://www.trilhadeestrelas.com/about
https://app.astrobin.com/u/@victorlimaphoto#about

Explanation:
Immersed in an eerie greenish light, this rugged little planet appears to be home to stunning water falls and an impossibly tall mountain. It's planet Earth of course. On the night of November 9 the nadir-centered 360 degree mosaic was captured by digital camera from the Kirkjufell mountain area of western Iceland. Curtains of shimmering Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights provide the pale greenish illumination. The intense auroral display was caused by solar activity that rocked Earth's magnetosphere in early November and produced strong geomagnetic storms. Kirkjufell mountain itself stands at the top of the stereographic projection's circular horizon. Northern hemisphere skygazers will recognize the familiar stars of the Big Dipper just above Kirkjufell's peak. At lower right the compact Pleiades star cluster and truly giant planet Jupiter also shine in this little planet's night sky.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231125.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 November 25 Little Planet Aurora * Image Credit & Copyright: Victor Lima Explanation: Immersed in an eerie greenish light, this rugged little planet appears to be home to stunning water falls and an impossibly tall mountain. It's planet Earth of course. On the night of November 9 the nadir-centered 360 degree mosaic was captured by digital camera from the Kirkjufell mountain area of western Iceland. Curtains of shimmering Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights provide the pale greenish illumination. The intense auroral display was caused by solar activity that rocked Earth's magnetosphere in early November and produced strong geomagnetic storms. Kirkjufell mountain itself stands at the top of the stereographic projection's circular horizon. Northern hemisphere skygazers will recognize the familiar stars of the Big Dipper just above Kirkjufell's peak. At lower right the compact Pleiades star cluster and truly giant planet Jupiter also shine in this little planet's night sky. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 November 6

Red Aurora over Italy
* Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer
https://www.giorgiahoferphotography.com/

Explanation:
What was that red glow on the horizon last night? Aurora. Our unusually active Sun produced a surface explosion a few days ago that sent out a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive charged nuclei. This coronal mass ejection (CME) triggered auroras here on Earth that are being reported unusually far south in Earth's northern hemisphere. For example, this was the first time that the astrophotographer captured aurora from her home country of Italy. Additionally, many images from these auroras appear quite red in color. In the featured image, the town of Comelico Superiore in the Italian Alps is visible in the foreground, with the central band of our Milky Way galaxy seen rising from the lower left. What draws the eye the most, though, is the bright red aurora on the far right. The featured image is a composite with the foreground and background images taken consecutively with the same camera and from the same location.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231106.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 November 6 The night sky over a valley is shown complete with the central band of the Milky Way Galaxy crossing up from the lower left. On the right the sky just over the hill glows an unusual red: aurora. Red Aurora over Italy * Image Credit & Copyright: Giorgia Hofer Explanation: What was that red glow on the horizon last night? Aurora. Our unusually active Sun produced a surface explosion a few days ago that sent out a burst of electrons, protons, and more massive charged nuclei. This coronal mass ejection (CME) triggered auroras here on Earth that are being reported unusually far south in Earth's northern hemisphere. For example, this was the first time that the astrophotographer captured aurora from her home country of Italy. Additionally, many images from these auroras appear quite red in color. In the featured image, the town of Comelico Superiore in the Italian Alps is visible in the foreground, with the central band of our Milky Way galaxy seen rising from the lower left. What draws the eye the most, though, is the bright red aurora on the far right. The featured image is a composite with the foreground and background images taken consecutively with the same camera and from the same location. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"I'm thinking about designing my next TOPIC> as 'FOLLOWERS ONLY' .. would that be ok for you?
Bots-requests would not be accepted."

2023 November 5

Creature Aurora Over Norway
* Image Credit & Copyright: Ole C. Salomonsen (Arctic Light Photo)
https://www.arcticlightphoto.no/about/

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 this eerie apparition in 2013 was sure: one of the best auroral displays that year. 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 Tromsø, Norway formed an also eerie foreground. Frequently, new photogenic auroras accompany new geomagnetic storms.
https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/31248/
https://annex.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/auroras/difcolors.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231105.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 November 5 The night sky over a snowy tree-adorned landscape glows in green and purple. The auroral glow might appear to some to be shaped like a creature. Creature Aurora Over Norway * Image Credit & Copyright: Ole C. Salomonsen (Arctic Light Photo) 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 this eerie apparition in 2013 was sure: one of the best auroral displays that year. 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 Tromsø, Norway formed an also eerie foreground. Frequently, new photogenic auroras accompany new geomagnetic storms. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 October 22

Ghost Aurora over Canada
* Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka, TWAN
http://www.blue-moon.ca/contact.html
https://twanight.org/profile/yuichi-takasaka/

Explanation:
What does this aurora look like to you? While braving the cold to watch the skies above northern Canada early one morning in 2013, a most unusual aurora appeared. The aurora definitely appeared to be shaped like something, but what? Two ghostly possibilities recorded by the astrophotographer were "witch" and "goddess of dawn", but please feel free to suggest your own Halloween-enhanced impressions. Regardless of fantastical pareidolic interpretations, the pictured aurora had a typical green color and was surely caused by the scientifically commonplace action of high-energy particles from space interacting with oxygen in Earth's upper atmosphere. In the image foreground, at the bottom, is a frozen Alexandra Falls, while evergreen trees cross the middle.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/earths-upper-atmosphere/
https://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?t=43394
http://blue-moon.ca/tonight%27s_aurora.html

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap231022.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 October 22 A landscape is pictured with snow and a line of evergreen trees. In the sky is a field of stars but also notable green aurora. The largest aurora appears similar in form to a Halloween ghost, Ghost Aurora over Canada * Image Credit & Copyright: Yuichi Takasaka, TWAN Explanation: What does this aurora look like to you? While braving the cold to watch the skies above northern Canada early one morning in 2013, a most unusual aurora appeared. The aurora definitely appeared to be shaped like something, but what? Two ghostly possibilities recorded by the astrophotographer were "witch" and "goddess of dawn", but please feel free to suggest your own Halloween-enhanced impressions. Regardless of fantastical pareidolic interpretations, the pictured aurora had a typical green color and was surely caused by the scientifically commonplace action of high-energy particles from space interacting with oxygen in Earth's upper atmosphere. In the image foreground, at the bottom, is a frozen Alexandra Falls, while evergreen trees cross the middle. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

"This thread on the subject of auroras will soon be continued. For today, however, I wish you a good, peaceful night and wonderful magical dreams .."

2023 July 30

Spiral Aurora over Icelandic Divide
* Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN)
https://twanight.org/profile/juan-carlos-casado/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/starryearth/albums/

Explanation:
Admire the beauty but fear the beast. The beauty is the aurora overhead, here taking the form of a great green spiral, seen between picturesque clouds with the bright Moon to the side and stars in the background. The beast is the wave of charged particles that creates the aurora but might, one day, impair civilization. In 1859, following notable auroras seen all across the globe, a pulse of charged particles from a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a solar flare impacted Earth's magnetosphere so forcefully that it created the Carrington Event. This assault from the Sun compressed the Earth's magnetic field so violently that it created high currents and sparks along telegraph wires, shocking many telegraph operators. Were a Carrington-class event to impact the Earth today, speculation holds that damage might occur to global power grids and electronics on a scale never yet experienced. The featured aurora was imaged in 2016 over Thingvallavatn Lake in Iceland, a lake that partly fills a fault that divides Earth's large Eurasian and North American tectonic plates.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230730.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 July 30 A bright green spiral aurora is seen in a break in the clouds before a purple background. The foreground contains green grassland and a circular lake. Spiral Aurora over Icelandic Divide * Image Credit & Copyright: Juan Carlos Casado (Starry Earth, TWAN) Explanation: Admire the beauty but fear the beast. The beauty is the aurora overhead, here taking the form of a great green spiral, seen between picturesque clouds with the bright Moon to the side and stars in the background. The beast is the wave of charged particles that creates the aurora but might, one day, impair civilization. In 1859, following notable auroras seen all across the globe, a pulse of charged particles from a coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with a solar flare impacted Earth's magnetosphere so forcefully that it created the Carrington Event. This assault from the Sun compressed the Earth's magnetic field so violently that it created high currents and sparks along telegraph wires, shocking many telegraph operators. Were a Carrington-class event to impact the Earth today, speculation holds that damage might occur to global power grids and electronics on a scale never yet experienced. The featured aurora was imaged in 2016 over Thingvallavatn Lake in Iceland, a lake that partly fills a fault that divides Earth's large Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.

"I wish you a wonderful and peaceful
good morning with this fantastic panorama by Jeff Dai"

2024 June 26
Timelapse: Aurora, SAR, and the Milky Way
* Video Credit & Copyright: Jeff Dai (TWAN);
https://twanight.org/profile/jeff-dai/

* Music: Ibaotu catalog number 771024 (Used with permission)

Explanation:
What's happening in the sky this unusual night? Most striking in the featured 4.5-hour 360-degree panoramic video, perhaps, is the pink and purple aurora. That's because this night, encompassing May 11, was famous for its auroral skies around the world. As the night progresses, auroral bands shimmer, the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy rises, and stars shift as the Earth rotates beneath them. Captured here simultaneously is a rare red band running above the aurora: a SAR arc, seen to change only slightly. The flashing below the horizon is caused by passing cars, while the moving spots in the sky are satellites and airplanes. The featured video was captured from Xinjiang, China with four separate cameras

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap240626.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

2023 March 27

Aurora Over Arctic Henge
* Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier
https://cariletelier.com/about/

Explanation:
Reports of powerful solar flares started a seven-hour quest north to capture modern monuments against an aurora-filled sky. The peaks of iconic Arctic Henge in Raufarhöfn in northern Iceland were already aligned with the stars: some are lined up toward the exact north from one side and toward exact south from the other. The featured image, taken after sunset late last month, looks directly south, but since the composite image covers so much of the sky, the north star Polaris is actually visible at the very top of the frame. Also visible are familiar constellations including the Great Bear (Ursa Major) on the left, and the Hunter (Orion) on the lower right. The quest was successful. The sky lit up dramatically with bright and memorable auroras that shimmered with amazing colors including red, pink, yellow, and green -- sometimes several at once.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230327.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 March 27 Multi-colored aurora are seen above an unusual stone gateway, the first of several similar gateways seen in the distance. Aurora Over Arctic Henge * Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier Explanation: Reports of powerful solar flares started a seven-hour quest north to capture modern monuments against an aurora-filled sky. The peaks of iconic Arctic Henge in Raufarhöfn in northern Iceland were already aligned with the stars: some are lined up toward the exact north from one side and toward exact south from the other. The featured image, taken after sunset late last month, looks directly south, but since the composite image covers so much of the sky, the north star Polaris is actually visible at the very top of the frame. Also visible are familiar constellations including the Great Bear (Ursa Major) on the left, and the Hunter (Orion) on the lower right. The quest was successful. The sky lit up dramatically with bright and memorable auroras that shimmered with amazing colors including red, pink, yellow, and green -- sometimes several at once. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.

2023 July 4

Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall
* Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier
https://www.instagram.com/cariletelier/

Explanation:
It seemed like the sky exploded. The original idea was to photograph an aurora over a waterfall. After waiting for hours under opaque clouds, though, hope was running out. Others left. Then, unexpectedly, the clouds moved away. Suddenly, particles from a large solar magnetic storm were visible impacting the Earth's upper atmosphere with full effect. The night sky filled with colors and motion in a thrilling auroral display. Struggling to steady the camera from high Earthly winds, the 34 exposures that compose the featured image were taken. The resulting featured composite image shows the photogenic Godafoss (Goðafoss) waterfall in northern Iceland in front of a very active aurora in late February. The solar surface explosion that expelled the energetic particles occurred a few days before. Our Sun is showing an impressive amount of surface activity as it approaches solar maximum, indicating that more impressive auroras are likely to appear in Earth's northern and southern sky over the next few years.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230704.html

#space #earth #aurora #astrophotography #photography #NASA #science #nature

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2023 July 4 Green aurora are seen against a blue sky over a series of picturesque waterfalls. Aurora over Icelandic Waterfall * Image Credit & Copyright: Cari Letelier Explanation: It seemed like the sky exploded. The original idea was to photograph an aurora over a waterfall. After waiting for hours under opaque clouds, though, hope was running out. Others left. Then, unexpectedly, the clouds moved away. Suddenly, particles from a large solar magnetic storm were visible impacting the Earth's upper atmosphere with full effect. The night sky filled with colors and motion in a thrilling auroral display. Struggling to steady the camera from high Earthly winds, the 34 exposures that compose the featured image were taken. The resulting featured composite image shows the photogenic Godafoss (Goðafoss) waterfall in northern Iceland in front of a very active aurora in late February. The solar surface explosion that expelled the energetic particles occurred a few days before. Our Sun is showing an impressive amount of surface activity as it approaches solar maximum, indicating that more impressive auroras are likely to appear in Earth's northern and southern sky over the next few years. Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply. NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC, NASA Science Activation & Michigan Tech. U.