Posted on 12/13/2021 3:38:04 PM PST by MtnClimber
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
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.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Very cool!
Lots of pictures out there of good old Kirkjufell. What a weird and wonderful place!
We were in Iceland mid November. Unfortunately it was cloudy every night so we could not see the sky. We did see lots of other wonderful sights though. It was a most enjoyable trip.
Snori Borealis?
Otherworldly. Very beautiful.
I believe that’s Nessie, near the shoreline.
Oh my! Nessie has snuck through the River Ness to escape the tourists by swimming to Iceland. Jump with the dolphins Nessie!
Spectacular!
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