May 18, 2024
Every candle on your cake is a tiny imitation of the stars that made you possible.
North Celestial Aurora
Birthday · May 18, 2024
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APOD published May 18, 2024. Credit: Chirag Upreti. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Graceful star trail arcs reflect planet Earth's daily rotation in this colorful night skyscape. To create the timelapse composite, on May 12 consecutive exposures were recorded with a camera fixed to a tripod on the shores of the Ashokan Reservoir, in the Catskills region of New York, USA. North star Polaris is near the center of the star trail arcs. The broad trail of a waxing crescent Moon is on the left, casting a strong reflection across the reservoir waters. With intense solar activity driving recent geomagnetic storms, the colorful aurora borealis or northern lights, rare to the region, shine under Polaris and the north celestial pole. AuroraSaurus: Report your aurora observations
Image credit: Chirag Upreti