Credit & Copyright: Stéphane Vetter
(Nuits sacrées)
Explanation:
That's no sunset.
And that thin red line just above it -- that's not a
sun pillar.
The red glow on the horizon originates from a
volcanic eruption,
and the red line is the eruption's reflection from fluttering
atmospheric ice crystals.
This unusual volcanic
light pillar was captured over
Iceland earlier this month.
The featured scene looks north from
JÆkulsÀrlÑn toward the erupting volcano
BÀrÏarbunga in the
Holuhraun lava field.
Even the foreground sky is picturesque, with textured grey
clouds in the lower atmosphere, shimmering green
aurora in the upper atmosphere, and bright stars far
in the distance.
Although the last eruption from Holuhraun was in 1797, the present
volcanic
activity
continues.
APOD Wall Calendar:
Land and Skyscapes
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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: volcano - aurora
Publications with words: volcano - 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