Credit & Copyright:
Credi & Copyrightt: Jeff Hapeman
Explanation:
What if your horizon was green?
If you've got a camera, take a picture!
That was the experience of Jeff Hapeman last week when visiting the
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in
Michigan.
On a quiet night toward the northern horizon over
Lake Superior
was a long lasting diffuse
green aurora.
The above image was taken in an effort to capture the
sense of wonder one gets when watching an auroral display.
Auroras
are sparked by
energetic particles from the
Sun impacting the
magnetic environment
around the Earth.
Resultant energetic particles such as
electrons and
protons
rain down near the Earth's poles and impact the air.
The impacted
air molecules
temporarily lose electrons, and when
oxygen molecules
among them reacquire these electrons, they emit
green light.
Auroras
are known to have many
shapes and
colors.
Credi & Copyrightt: Jeff Hapeman
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: aurora
Publications with words: aurora
See also:
- APOD: 2024 January 14 Á Dragon Aurora over Iceland
- APOD: 2024 January 3 Á A SAR Arc from New Zealand
- APOD: 2023 December 12 Á Aurora and Milky Way over Norway
- The SAR and the Milky Way
- APOD: 2023 November 5 Á Creature Aurora Over Norway
- APOD: 2023 October 22 Á Ghost Aurora over Canada
- APOD: 2023 April 19 Á Auroral Storm over Lapland