March 28, 2011
Your birthday coincides with the eternal dance of celestial bodies — planets tracing their ancient orbits, moons rising and setting, comets...
Time-Lapse Auroras Over Norway
Birthday · March 28, 2011
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APOD published March 28, 2011 · Video still. Credit: Terje S�rgjerd; Music: Gladiator Soundtrack: Now we are Free. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Sometimes, after your eyes adapt to the dark, a spectacular sky appears. Such was the case earlier this month when one of the largest auroral displays in recent years appeared over northern locations like the border between Norway and Russia. Pictured in the above time-lapse movie, auroras flow over snow covered landscapes, trees, clouds, mountains and lakes found near Kirkenes, Norway. Many times the auroras are green, as high energy particles strike the Earth's atmosphere, causing the air to glow as electrons recombine with their oxygen hosts. Other colors are occasionally noticeable as atmospheric nitrogen also becomes affected. In later sequences the Moon and rising stars are also visible. With the Sun expected to become ever more active over the next few years, there may be many opportunities to see similarly spectacular auroras personally, even from areas much closer to the equator.
Image credit: Terje S�rgjerd; Music: Gladiator Soundtrack: Now we are Free