Posted on 03/24/2014 6:44:18 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: If you see a sky like this -- photograph it. A month ago in Iceland, an adventurous photographer (pictured) chanced across a sky full of aurora and did just that. In the foreground lies the stratovolcano Öræfajökull. In the background, among other sky delights, lies the constellation of Orion, visible to the aurora's left. 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 obtain excited electrons, and when electrons in oxygen molecules fall back to their ground state, they emit green light. Auroras are known to have many shapes and colors.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit & Copyright: Þorvarður Árnason]
We never seem to get those in FL. Oh Well, we’ll always have APOD! :-)
MAGNIFICENT!
Orion out hunting for Spring, I hope. It isn’t here yet. It was 10° this morning and has risen to a blistering 22° since I got up. ;-)
That is a lovely photograph. Thank you for the post and ping.
Just wow!
With the gorgeous landscapes visible there during the day & spectacular sights like this at night, Iceland would be a place I’d love to visit – God willing…
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