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Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Planet Aurora Borealis
NASA ^ | January 28, 2012 | (see photo credit)

Posted on 01/28/2012 8:49:34 AM PST by SunkenCiv

Explanation: Illuminated by an eerie greenish light, this remarkable little planet is covered with ice and snow and ringed by tall pine trees. Of course, this little planet is actually planet Earth, and the surrounding stars are above the horizon near Östersund, Sweden. The pale greenish illumination is from a curtain of shimmering Aurora Borealis also known as the Northern Lights. The display was triggered when a giant solar coronal mass ejection (CME) rocked planet Earth's magnetosphere on January 24th and produced a strong geomagnetic storm. Northern hemisphere skygazers will also recognize the familiar orientation of stars at the left, including the Pleiades and Hyades star clusters and the stars of Orion. Increasing solar activity has caused recent auroral displays to be wide spread, including Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights, at high southern latitudes.

January 28, 2012

(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; astronomy; auroraaustralis; auroraborealis; coronalmassejection; hyades; orion; pleiades; science; sweden
[Credit & Copyright: Göran Strand]

1 posted on 01/28/2012 8:49:43 AM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

Love the lens on that camera! :)


2 posted on 01/28/2012 8:51:32 AM PST by RingerSIX (My wife and I took an AIDS vaccine that they offer down at our Church.)
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To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...

Terrestrial, but a hoot.

3 posted on 01/28/2012 8:51:53 AM PST by SunkenCiv (FReep this FReepathon!)
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To: SunkenCiv

I was thinking about making a photo like that today but its too windy for the tripod.


4 posted on 01/28/2012 9:03:53 AM PST by cripplecreek (What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?)
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To: SunkenCiv

We lived in Alaska for 25 years and miss seeing the northern lights - thanks for the new desktop background.


5 posted on 01/28/2012 9:52:49 AM PST by dainbramaged (I lost my mantra around 1969.)
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To: SunkenCiv

How did he make that photo?


6 posted on 01/28/2012 10:09:31 AM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: SunkenCiv

We Come from the land of the ice and snow
Where the midnight sun
And the huskies go
So don’t go where the huskies go
Don’t eat the yellow snow.

(Talkin’ bout some profound synergy from my generation)


7 posted on 01/28/2012 11:19:42 AM PST by left that other site
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To: SunkenCiv

Wow, that’s a beaut. I sometimes miss being able to see the Aurora, but tomorrow it’s supposed to be 60 degrees and I’ll probably be wearing shorts, so there are compensations. :-))


8 posted on 01/28/2012 3:21:01 PM PST by colorado tanker
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