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Stunning aurora glow above Iceland after 'dead' sunspot erupts
Live Science ^ | Elizabeth Howell

Posted on 04/18/2022 12:37:16 PM PDT by BenLurkin

A sunspot that "awoke from the dead" last week and erupted with a medium-size solar flare, along with a mass ejection of plasma, also lit up the northern skies in glowing lights. One stunning image of the effect showed the aurora seeming to rain through the clouds above Iceland.

Rays from this aurora shone near Goưafoss Waterfall, which is about about 45 minutes from Akureyri, the second-largest city in Iceland.

The shining northern lights were generated by a moderate-sized solar storm, associated with an explosion of solar particles witnessed by satellites. The sunspot that exploded was poetically dubbed "dead" because it had recently erupted and become part of a quiet solar patch. Even so, as those solar particles interacted with Earth's magnetic field lines, air molecules high up in the atmosphere were excited, producing the incredible sky show.

(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; cme; coronalmassejection; iceland; science; sida; sunspot

1 posted on 04/18/2022 12:37:16 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

I’ve been there.
Iceland is very beautiful.


2 posted on 04/18/2022 12:38:54 PM PDT by EEGator
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To: BenLurkin

Kewl!


3 posted on 04/18/2022 12:40:14 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo (The best things in life aren't things.)
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To: EEGator

I’ve been there, and the airport wasn’t all that beautiful (back when 727s had to stop to refuel on occasion) but I envy your getting to see the rest of the (small) country.


4 posted on 04/18/2022 12:43:28 PM PDT by steve86 (Prophecies of Maelmhaedhoc O'Morgair (Latin form: Malachy))
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To: BenLurkin

Stunning.

Lots more beautiful photos at Todd Salat’s site, https://www.aurorahunter.com/


5 posted on 04/18/2022 12:44:10 PM PDT by Jamestown1630 ("A Republic, if you can keep it.")
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To: BenLurkin

6 posted on 04/18/2022 2:15:46 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: BenLurkin
Thanks BenLurkin.



7 posted on 04/18/2022 4:09:50 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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